The Secrets We Keep
by Sweet Jorja
Summary: Ch.10-15 ADDED! Please read author note!...Catherine and Grissom now have a strong relationship, but can one secret tear them apart forever? CG Please R&R Thanx! Again the rating is just precaution.
1. Assumptions

Disclaimers: You wanna talk about a crime? Okay, I don't own the characters of CSI. I know, isn't that just criminal? LOL  
  
Summary: Catherine and Grissom now have a strong relationship, but can one secret tear them apart forever? C/G Please R&R Thanx!  
  
ENJOY!!!!!!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Santa Monica, California: 1990  
  
"Why can't I got with you daddy? Don't you want me anymore?" the little girl asked her father sadly as he held her close.  
  
"I want you with me more than anything in this world, you know that. But the judge says you have to stay with grandma for a while." He said looking at the older woman standing away from them. She looked coldly at him, almost as if her glare could make him disappear.  
  
"Sweetheart, why don't you be a good little girl and go inside and let me talk to daddy okay."  
  
"Yes Nana." She said running inside.  
  
"Her mother wouldn't have wanted it this way." The young man said angrily.  
  
"Well, that's not what the judge thinks. You should probably get going or you will miss your flight." She said turning away again.  
  
"You had better take care of her." He said wipping a tear away from his face.  
  
"I am the best thing for that child right now. Why don't you say goodbye to her or you will be late." She said walking away.  
  
"Daddy! Don't leave yet!" the little girl said running back out.  
  
"Don't worry, I wasn't going to leave without saying goodbye."  
  
"I love you daddy. I wish I could come with you."  
  
"I know sweetie, grandma says I can come visit you when I get a chance."  
  
"Okay. I love you daddy."  
  
"I love you too honey." He said giving her one last hug and kiss before heading to the airport.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Las Vegas, Nevada: 2004  
  
Nick and Warrick were walking down the corridor, taking about sports, hen they almost knocked down their supervisor.  
  
"Oh, hey boss." Nick said flashing his Texan smile.  
  
"Hey guys."  
  
"Where is Catherine?" Warrick asked.  
  
"She and Sara are, uh, making plans."  
  
"Wow. And you guys have been engaged how long?"  
  
"Um, three days." Grissom answered smiling at the thought.  
  
"Well, Catherine syre doesn't like to waste any time does she?" Nick said making them laugh.  
  
"Yeah well she will come in later. But I think Sara isn't. Am I right Nick?"  
  
"Yeah. She has some running around to do later."  
  
"Okay. Well, let's get to work. Nick go and see if Greg has our DNA results yet. Warrick..."  
  
"Yeah, I'll tell Brass to bring our guy in."  
  
"Okay, I'm gonna review some of my notes to make sure we have'nt missed anything." Grissom said walking to his office.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later that shift, Catherine came in to Grissom's office to report in for work. He was focused on a case file and didn't hear her come in.  
  
"Hey handsome." She said startling him.  
  
"Hello Catherine, you're early."  
  
"Well Sara and I got finished early so I thought I would come in. What? Didn't you miss me?" She said with a pout, walking toward him.  
  
"Of course I missed you. That is why I assigned you to work on my case." He said kissing her as she sat on the arm of his chair.  
  
"Really. Well I had better get to work then...boss." She said smiling at him.  
  
"Yeah, you should." He said sarcastically.  
  
"What have we got?" She said seriously as she leaned overhim to look at the file.  
  
"A woman found at Bar 911. Call David for physical findings. I need to meet Brass for an interrigation."  
  
"Okay. Oh uh, Gil?"  
  
"Yes Catherine."  
  
"Can I see your cell? I forgot David's new cell number and I think he is on break, and I really want to get to work."  
  
"Okay. Bring it to me when you're done. As long as I'm done with my interrigation."  
  
"Okay, thanks." She said as he started to walk away. "Uh Gil, aren't you forgeting something?"  
  
"No, I don't think so." He said mocking confusion.  
  
"Get over here!"  
  
"Yes dear." He said walking back to her to give her a kiss before leaving. "Is that better?"  
  
"Yes, thank you...dear." She said laughing, as Grissom finally left, knowing Brass would be mad that he was late.  
  
Catherine sat in Grissom's desk chair (she was the only other person besides Grissom allowed to sit there) and looked through the list of phone numbers Grissom had programed into his phone, trying to find David. She recognized all but one number. It looked strange. It wasn't like the other Vegas numbers. The name that went with the number was 'Alexandra'. He had never mentioned her before. 'Oh well, it's probably one of his doctors' she thought as she found David's number and called to talk to him about the case.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night the team went out to celebrate Catherine and Grissom's engagement. Nick, Warrick, Grissom and Brass all talked about sports. Catherine and Sara were talking over wedding plans, and Greg was playing games with Lindsey in the restaurant arcade. Grissom's cell phone and Catherine turned around. She caught a glimpse of the number before he left the table and it said 'Alexandra'. It didn't bother her until she asked who it was and he said it was the lab conferming some evidence. She suddenly became extremely uncomfortable. 'Is he cheating on me?' she though.  
  
"Catherine? Are you okay?" Grissom asked putting an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I...uh...just zoned out for a second."  
  
"Oh okay." He said kissing her cheek. He studied her for a moment and realized she looked very uncomfortable. "Catherine, are you sure you feel alright?" He said worrily.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess."  
  
"Do you want to go home?"  
  
"Oh on. I'm fine." She said as he looked at her unsatisfied. "I promise."  
  
"Okay. I love you."  
  
"I love you too." She said resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: So? Is it good? Is it worth writing more? Please r&r. I need to know how good...or bad it is and if I should write more. I hope everyone is enjoying it so far.  
  
~Sweet Jorja 


	2. Finding Out

A/N: Okay guys, I'm fired up and ready to write! So enjoy! And don't worry, I promise it will get better...eventually.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Hey Catherine wait up!" Sara caled jogging over to her from the ballistics lab.  
  
"Oh hi Sara."  
  
"Wow. What's wrong? You've been acting really weird all day."  
  
"I...t's probably nothing." Catherine sighed.  
  
"Catherine, with you, it's never nothing."  
  
"No really. I'm probably over reacting anyway." She said lokking at the floor.  
  
"Over reacting about what? Catherine, you aren't makeing any sense!" Sara said getting annoyed that her best friend wouldn't tell her the problem.  
  
"Okay, okay. I think...I think Grissom is cheating on me." She said slowly.  
  
"What? Catherine that's rediculous. You know how much he loves you and Lindsey. Why on earth would you think something like that?" She said obviously surprised.  
  
"Do you know anone by the name Alexandra?"  
  
"Alexandra? No who the heck is she?"  
  
"I was her phone number in Grissom's cell phone whe I was looking for David's number."  
  
"It could be a doctor or something."  
  
"I thought that too. But last night at dinner she called him. I saw her number on the phone before he got up. When he came back I asked him, and he said it was the lab!"  
  
"I don't know Catherine. There must be something missing. i just don't see Grissom as the type who would cheat on someone, especially you."  
  
"You're right. But why won't he tell me who she is?"  
  
"I don't know Catherine. Have you tried asking him? I don't think he is cheating on you."  
  
"Are you crazy? If I ask him it will make me look suspicious. Just, forget it."  
  
"Are you sure you're alright?"  
  
"Yeah. Thanks Sara. Anyway, what do we have on our guy?"  
  
"Oh, I'm on my way to tell Grissom that we caught him. Do you want to come with me?"  
  
"Well it's a little late for that Sara. We are right in front of his office ya now." Catherine said smiling.  
  
"I know that Catherine. I meant, do you want to go inside with me to fill him in?"  
  
"Oh! Sure okay." Catherine said sarcastically.  
  
Sara was about to knock on the door when she and Catherine heard Grissom's phone ring.  
  
"Grissom, oh hey Alex...yeah I'm good...they're good too...no I have'nt said anything yet...I now but...okay, I'll tell her tonight...well don't get your hopes up. She will probably never speak to me again...I know that Alex, I love her too. I love Catherine and Lindsey more than anything. But this is really big. I wanted to wait to tell her but-...What? Is she alright?...Oh honey I'm so sorry...Don't be scared. My vacation starts tomorrow so I'll take the first flight out...okay I love you too. Good bye sweetheart."  
  
Catherine stood in front of the door, dazed, confused and heartbroken. She didn't even blink. Sara turned to her and saw a tear running down her cheek.  
  
"Catherine? Cath are you okay?" Sara asked worriedly getting silence. "Catherine?" "I..I'm fine. I just need to get some air."  
  
"Okay. What are you gonna do?"  
  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear anything. I'm going to go for a walk."  
  
"Do you want me to come with you?"  
  
"No, thank you Sara. You are a great friend." Catherine said wiping away a tear as she turned around. "Sara? Please promise me that you won't say anything to Grissom. Please."  
  
"Okay. What do you want me to tell him if he asks where you are?"  
  
"Just tell him I took my break early."  
  
"Okay." Sara answered watching Catherine almost run out of the lab.  
  
Grissom opened his door and scared Sara. She looked at him coldly for a second then remembered the promise she had made to Catherine. Grissom, also startled himself, looked confused at her sudden change in looks.  
  
"Oh hi Sara What's wrong?" She remained silent. "What? Did I leave one of my experiments in the fridge again? I didn't realize it, I'm sorry."  
  
"No, it's nothing. I wanted to tell you that we got our guy."  
  
"Good. Did Brass arrest him or do we need to explain things to him?" He said grinning.  
  
"No I can handle it. I just wanted to fill you in." She said doubting she could be in the same room with him without biting his head off. 'Self control, self control...' she repeated to herself.  
  
"Okay. Have you seen Catherine?"  
  
"Uh, yeah. She said she was taking her break early."  
  
"Oh okay." He said still not sure if Sara really had a problem or not.  
  
"Sara? Are you sure you're okay? Did I do something wrong, or did Nick forget a special day or something?"  
  
"Griss, I promise it's nothing okay. i have to go. I'll see you later."  
  
"Okay, Sara?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Have fun in you interrogation." He said grinning.  
  
"Sure." She said forcing a smile.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: So? Is anyone still interested? I hope so! Cuz then you can review, then I am able to live, and then I can write more if you want it. LOL I hope everyone liked it!  
  
~Sweet Jorja 


	3. A Friend In Need

A/N: Okay, I'm back and I'm ready to go! Are you? Let's check our supplies... hmmmm, we got a mouse, keyboard, monitor, hard drive, modem thingy, plugs, and for laptop users out enjoying the great weather, sunglasses and sun block. LOL This is a short chapter, but my brain is on vacation, so when I think of more, you'll see it. Enjoy!  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was finally the end of shift, and Sara came into the locker room finding Catherine in a daze. She also looked like she had been crying.  
  
"Catherine? Are you alright?" Sara said as Catherine looked up, her eyes red and puffy.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Ya know, I could tell Grissom that we are going out for a while so you can have a chance to calm down. I mean if he sees you like this, he's going to start asking questions."  
  
"Okay, sure. I'll just tell him we are going to hang out for a while."  
  
"I guess we should hurry. I'm supposed to pick up Lindsey tonight so you guys can have dinner together."  
  
"Okay. You can just take her with you when you bring me home."  
  
"Catherine. You heard him, he loves you more than anything. And I don't doubt that for a minute."  
  
"Okay, I'll meet you outside before Grissom sees me like this."  
  
"Okay, I'll be out in a minute." Sara said grabbing somethings from her locker, and heading for Grissom's office.  
  
Catherine and Sara went to the park to talk. It took Catherine a little over an hour to calm down to the point to where she could face Grissom. He called and asked where she was. She said she was on her way home from the store. She had to have Sara stop at the store to get a few things to cover for herself. Then it was time for her to go home for the one thing she had been dreading all day...the truth.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N I know it was short, I just wanted to make up for the long chapter to follow. Well, I think it will be long. Once the writer's block is removed from my road to fanfiction success, then we'll find out. LOL I hope everyone was satisfied and wants more. the next chapter will be better. I promise.  
  
~Sweet Jorja 


	4. Facing The Truth

A/N: Hey y'all! Back for more I see! I guess you must really be enjoying it! YAY! Trying to contain my excitement. Well brace yourselves, this is gonna be a long painful one. Oh dear, it seems that I have scared away my sanity. Well, you guys read, I'll go find it. Enjoy! HERE SANITY! COME ON NOW I NEED YOU OR THEY'LL FIND OUT I'M CRAZY! LOL  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Sara brought Catherine home after she had calmed down. They pulled into the driveway and Sara broke the silence.  
  
"Hey, it's going to be okay Catherine. I promise." She said hugging her friend.  
  
"Thank you Sara. I don't know what I would do without you."  
  
"You'd probably have some other friend that is good with kids and other people except for their friends, and you would have nobody to talk 'girl talk' to at work." She said smiling. Catherine looked at her and smiled. Something she hadn't done in hours.  
  
"Well, on that note, I should probably go before I get upset again."  
  
"Okay. I'll come with you to get Lindsey." Sara said as they climbed out and walked through the front door.  
  
As Catherine opened the front door, she heard Lindsey playing her Shania Twain Up! album she had gotten for her birthday. She smelled steak and vegetables. Grissom was preparing dinner. She knew he wasn't done yet, because she could hear the skillet sizzling. She heard the thumping of Lindsey running down the hall to greet her.  
  
"Hi Mommy! Hi Sara!"  
  
"Hi sweetie." Catherine said picking her up and holding her tight. "Oh, I missed you today. How was school?"  
  
"It was great! We had a party since everyone was too excited to pay attention."  
  
"So Lindsey, are you excited about spring break?" Sara asked as Lindsey went to give her a hug.  
  
"Yeah! I'm excited because I get to go home with you tonight too!" She said smiling.  
  
"Oh hey I got an idea! If it's alright with your mom, maybe you can spent the night." Sara said looking in Catherine's direction.  
  
"Oh mommy can I can I please please please!" Lindsey begged as Catherine snapped out of her little world.  
  
"What sweetie?"  
  
"Can I spent the night at Sara's house?"  
  
"Um, sure it's fine with me."  
  
"Yay! Thank you mommy!"  
  
"Okay kiddo, go get your PJ's and sleeping bag together. I'll tell uncle Nick to find our sleeping bags and we can all camp out in the livingroom okay?"  
  
"Cool! I'll be right back." She said running back down the hall to her room.  
  
"Catherine? Are you going to be okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you so much Sara for taking Lindsey."  
  
"It's no problem. We love having her over. She and Nick always have tons of fun when they're together."  
  
"Tell Nick I said thank you and good luck."  
  
"Will do Catherine."  
  
"Okay Sara I'm ready!"  
  
"Okay, go say good bye to uncle Grissom."  
  
"I heard my name." Grissom said wiping his hands on a dish towel as he walked toward them. "Hello Catherine, Sara how was your shopping trip?"  
  
"Oh it was good. I needed to get a few things for Nick, and Catherine bought a few things for the office."  
  
"Oh okay. Hey Linds are you going camping?"  
  
"Mommy said I could spend the night with Nick and Sara. And I was about to say good bye to you."  
  
"Okay then, bye Lindsey. I'll see you next week Sara."  
  
"Are you on vacation?"  
  
"Yeah, it starts tomorrow."  
  
"Okay, have a good one."  
  
"You too. Tell Nick I said hi."  
  
"Okay bye guys. Enjoy your dinner."  
  
"Bye mommy, bye uncle Grissom." Lindsey said following Sara outside.  
  
"Bye sweetie. Have a good time." Catherine held her breath as they backed out of the driveway. 'This is it. The rest of your life is riding on what happens tonight.' She thought as she walked back inside. She walked into the dining room and saw the table done up like in an expensive restaurant. There were candles and flowers and table linens with matching cloth napkins.  
  
"Have a seat Catherine." Grissom said bringing in their plates.  
  
"Wow, Gil this is beautiful." Catherine said as she revealed her beautiful smile. Grissom loved her smile. it could make him feel better about anything. Including what he had to tell her tonight. He sat down and they ate in awkward silence. Neither of them spoke. Finally once Grissom had cleared their plates, he broke the silence.  
  
"Catherine are you okay? You have been acting strange all day. As a matter of fact, you and Sara have both been acting pretty strange today. What is going on?"  
  
"Nothing. I have no idea what is wrong with Sara and I'm fine. I was just a little tired today."  
  
"Okay. Are you sure that's it?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm fine. Anyway, you and Lindsey have the same week off for vacation, are you going to do anything special?"  
  
"Actually, I need to talk to you about something. I need to take over shift."  
  
"Well, I already knew that, I was going to anyway." Catherine said getting confused.  
  
"I know. I have to fly out to California for a few days."  
  
"You usually go to California for every other vacation, why? Is this different?" Catherine asked, afraid that the truth was going to come out any second.  
  
"It is different because there is a family emergency I need to deal with."  
  
"What happened? Is someone hurt?"  
  
"Yes, but before I tell you, I need to explain a few things to you first."  
  
"Gil, you know you can tell me anything." 'Oh god, here it comes.' She thought holding back the tears, not certain of what he was going to say.  
  
"God, help me." Grissom mumbled under his breath.  
  
"Gil? Just tell me. What is it?"  
  
"Okay, as you know I used to live in California."  
  
"Yeah, I mean you have never told me too much about it or anything, but I know it."  
  
"Well, I haven't told anyone about my life in California. Not even Sara, and I worked with her when I lived there. But I had a totally different life back then. I was married, I had a great life. It hurts so much to remember this." He said as he tried to hide the pain. Catherine was confused at what he was trying to tell her, but she wanted so much to comfort him.  
  
"Go on Gil, tell me."  
  
"I don't know where to start."  
  
"Start at the beginning it is the easiest place to start."  
  
"Twenty years ago, I met an amazing woman. She worked with me and we dated for a year before we were married."  
  
"What was her name?"  
  
"Nicole. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. We were married for three years when she became pregnant."  
  
"Wait, are you telling me you have a child?" Catherine said unsure of what she felt.  
  
"Yes. We had a little girl. Alexandra Nicole Grissom." He said staring at the floor.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me about this? Don't you think I had the right to know?" 'Alexandra is his daughter?' Catherine thought becoming furious.  
  
"It was just too painful to talk about them."  
  
"Tell me what happened. How did you end up here in Vegas and single?"  
  
"When Alex was two, Nicole was in a car accident. She was killed. I became shut in and depressed. I stopped going into work. I didn't eat. I took care of Alex, but not myself."  
  
"But what happened to her? Why isn't she here with you?"  
  
"Nicole's mother never liked me. When Nicole died, her mother waited until I was at my lowest point to send Child Services. They took Alex away from me. She was ordered to live with her grandmother. My whole family, my whole world was taken away from me with in a matter of weeks. She wanted to come with me. 'Til this day I don't know why I left. I used to regret it, but after I met you, I knew I would be able to find happiness, and I don't ever want to lose that Catherine. I'm so sorry I never told you." He said as tears rolled down his cheeks.  
  
"I have something to tell you too. Sara and I were talking outside your office today and we heard you talking you Alex. I thought you were cheating on me. I had no idea. I should've known better. I'm sorry."  
  
"Catherine you have every right to be angry. And I don't blame you for drawing that conclusion."  
  
"What happened? Whatever the emergency is, it sounded urgent."  
  
"Yes it is. And things will only get more complicated. Alex's grandmother died in the hospital after having a heart attack this afternoon. She was so scared." he said as his voice saddened even more.  
  
"What is going to happen?"  
  
"She is now in the state's care until I get there. I am all she has left."  
  
"Does she know about me and Lindsey?"  
  
"Yeah, she knows about everyone. I visit her when I go to California for vacation."  
  
"I can't believe this is happening. I can't believe you told her all about us, but we know nothing of her. I just don't see why you didn't tell me this!"  
  
"Catherine I wanted to wait until the time was right."  
  
"Gil there is no right time to find out that your fiancee' has a child that lives in another state that nobody knows about! I mean come on what were you going to do, wait until the wedding?"  
  
"Catherine please..."  
  
"Please what? You said it yourself, I have every right to be angry."  
  
"I know that Catherine, I was just hoping that you would understand."  
  
"I do understand, more than you now, but you still should have told me this." Catherine said as she started to cry.  
  
"Catherine please, you know how much I care about you and Lindsey. But there is no hiding from this. If you give it a chance, I promise we can get through this." Grissom said as Catherine turned away and stayed silent. " You can stay mad at me as long as you want, but it will never change how I feel about you Catherine. I need to pack. My flight leaves in an hour." He said walking slowly to their bedroom to pack some things. He was finished in ten minutes. he walked out from the hallway and saw Catherine in the same position he had left her. "I'm so sorry Catherine. You can't even begin to understand how I feel. I want you to remember how much I love you. I'll be back in a few days. " He said leaving her there alone.  
  
"I love you too." She said softly, almost to herself as she heard his Tahoe back out of the driveway.  
  
She went to her bedroom, their bedroom and laid in bed. She turned to his side and put her head on his pillow. She could smell him. She took in a deep breath of the smell and began to cry. She hated him. But she still loved him. It hurt that they had fought before he left. It hurt just as bad that he didn't tell her he had had another wife, another family before her. She wasn't surprised, just angry he said nothing. She tried to sleep, but failed. She was kept awake thinking about how Alex was going to change their lives. She was thinking about how good it felt to be in the arms of the man she loved. She felt safe with him, she didn't want to lose that feeling, not for the world. She knew it would be hard, but she knew she would have to adjust. But her stubbornness was dangerous in these situations. So dangerous, she was almost unsure of how she felt. So dangerous, that it had caused her to make the wrong decision more than once. She was afraid of than happening again. But deep down inside she knew they would get through it. How or when, she didn't know. But she just knew it would happen.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A/N: So? Well, I warned you it was going to be long. Was it too much? It was too much wasn't it? Don't worry, I don't think the next one will be as long. I'm pretty sure. I hoped everyone enjoyed it. Let me know if I should write more, or if I should stop boring you with my long heartfelt chapters of secrets and lies. ::sigh:: well, I guess now it is my turn to face the truth, please review and tell me what you think.  
  
~Sweet Jorja 


	5. Out in the Open

A/N: Hey, how is everyone? Okay well here it is. I've decided to cut my authors notes since not only are they boring, meaning not funny, but I figure nobody really reads them anyway. Anywhoo, I hope you like this one. ENJOY!!!  
  
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"Catherine? Are you in here?" Sara asked opening the door to Grissom's office. Catherine was sitting at his desk in the dark. It was obvious she had been crying. "Catherine? Talk to me please." Sara begged as she knelt beside her friend.  
  
"Where is Lindsey?" Catherine asked, to make sure she couldn't hear their conversation.  
  
"She's with Nick and Greg. They went to get lunch. Catherine what happened last night?"  
  
"I found out who Alexandra was."  
  
"Oh Catherine, I'm so sorry."  
  
"No, you don't understand. Grissom wasn't cheating on me."  
  
"Well then who is she?"  
  
"Alexandra Nicole Grissom, is his daughter."  
  
"What? How? Since when?"  
  
"Since he lived in California and had a life nobody knew about. He said you didn't even know."  
  
"No I didn't. Where is Grissom now?"  
  
"He is in California. When he comes back, he is bringing her back here with him."  
  
"Where has she been all this time? With her mother?"  
  
"No. Her mother died a long time ago. Her grandmother had Child Services take Alex away from Gil before he moved here."  
  
"Why is he just now bringing her here? Why couldn't he have told us about her before?"  
  
"The grandmother died yesturday. He is the only family she has left."  
  
"How are you holding up?"  
  
"God Sara, I don't know what to do. I love Gil, I really do. But I can't believe he didn't tell me this."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"I don't know. I'm so mad at him right now." Catherine looked up as the door squeeked open.  
  
"Mommy, we're back. We got McDonalds." Lindsey said walking to her mother. "Mommy are you okay?" Lindsey hugged her mother and stroked her back. "It's okay mommy. I don't know what uncle Grissom did, but I'm sure he didn't mean it."  
  
"Uh, Linds.Why don't you go to the break room and your mom and I will be there in a minute." Sara said smiling at the child.  
  
"Okay, I love yo mommy."  
  
"I love you too baby." Catherine said trying not to cry again in front of her daughter. Lindsey just turned around and ran out of the room, and Sara turned back to Catherine.  
  
"Are you gonna be alright?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you in a few. Calm down, wash your face and come eat something."  
  
"Okay Sara, I'll be there in a minute."  
  
------------------------  
  
That night, Nick knew Sara had a lot on her mind. Usually she would be wrapped up in her thoughts before bed, but he had never seen her this absorbed by anything before.  
  
"Sara?" No answer. "Sara?" Nick said touching her arm. "Oh sorry, I was thinking."  
  
"Well, not about work or you would've heard me. What is it?"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Sara, I know you, and you wouldn't be this absorbed over nothing. Now if you don't tell me, I'll uh... I'll sleep in the spare room."  
  
"Okay, more room for me." Sara said smiling playfully.  
  
"Hey! No really what is it? Does this have anything to do with why Catherine was so upset today?"  
  
"Yeah, she just has a lot going on right now."  
  
"She was so distant all day. At lunch she didn't say a word. Neither of you did. Are things alright between her and Grissom?"  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"Well what happened? What could possibly have Catherine this upset?"  
  
"It's complicated. I'm not sure if Catherine would like it if I told you."  
  
"Sara, I'm her friend too. I care about her just as much as you do."  
  
"I know but,I just don't want her to be mad at me too. That is the last thing she needs right now."  
  
"Tell me what's wrong so I can help too." Nick said desparately "I mean, two days ago you couldn't find two happier people, and now Grissom is on vacation and Catherine is upset. Come on, talk to me."  
  
"Two days ago, there wasn't Alexandra."  
  
"Who is Alexandra? Grissom wasn't cheating on Catherine was he? No way, he would never do that... would he?"  
  
"No, he wasn't cheating on her."  
  
"Then who is she?"  
  
"His daughter."

"Hold on. Back up. Grissom has a daughter? When did this happen?"  
  
"Apparently before he moved here from California, he was married and had a daughter. But after his wife died, his mother-in-law had her taken away from him."  
  
"Oh man. What happened though? I mean how did this get al out in the open?"  
  
"Alex's grandmother died yesturday."  
  
"Man, what are they gonna do?"  
  
"Grissom is going to bring her back here."  
  
"How is Catherine dealing with all of this?"  
  
"She's upset naturally. She can hardly stop crying. She is so mad at him. God Nick, I don't know how to help her. They love each other so much, Catherine is my best friend and I have no idea how to help her." Sara said starting to cry.  
  
"Hey. It's alright. They will be okay." Nick said taking her in hi arms.  
  
"She just feels so alone since he left. Even with Lindsey there. she is afraid of saying the wrong thing to her, or that she won't understand."  
  
"I know baby, I know. I have an idea, do you want to hear it?" Nick said as Sara nodded against his chest. "Why don't we have Catherine and Lindsey stay here for a few days. Catherine can have the spare room and Lindsey can choose between the roll away and the couch. i think it would help if she had people around her."  
  
"Nick, that is a great idea. Do you think she'll do it?"  
  
"Maybe. We will have to ask her don't you think?"  
  
"Yeah I guess/ I want to help her Nick. She really needs a friend right now."  
  
"I know. Why don't you try and get some sleep okay?We can talk to Catherine tomorrow."  
  
"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too." he said kissing her and turning out the lights.  
  
------------------------  
  
A/N: ::Sniff Sniff:: isn't that ending just heart warming? I haven't decided if Nick and Sara are married, or if they are just in a serious relationship. Let me know what you think in you reviews. Married, not married. I'll add them up and somehow put it in the next chapter. By the way, I apologize for the repetitive dialogue going from Catherine to Sara form Sara to Nick, my brain is just working mega overtime right now. ANYWHOO, we should be meeting Alexandra probably not the next chapter, but the one after that. Confused yet? But sadly I'm not sure when I can update nexr though. I need to work on getting my grades back up, it shouldn't be that hard though. Evil teachers!! Sorry for any readers who might be teachers, it isn't meant for you, just MY teachers. LOL PLease review and let me know what you think about this chapter and my little 'poll'. Thanks! I hope y'all liked it!!  
  
Sweet Jorja


	6. Messages, Questions, and Prayers

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Finals are over, school is out, and I'm free! I figured I would try and write something for you guys since I'm in such a nice mood. LOL I'm gonna keep the personal notes short. So anywhoo, I hope y'all enjoy it. And PLEASE PLEASE answer my little poll at the end of the last chapter, I really want to know what you guys think. Thanks.

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"Catherine! Hey Catherine wait up!" Sara said jogging to her friend.

"Oh hey Sara." Catherine greeted as she closed her case folder.

"Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay."

"Your tone makes me think that you aren't."

"No really, I feel much better." Catherine said forcing a smile, but Sara saw right through it.

"If you feel better, then why do you look like you haven't slept in days and you've been crying again?"

"No I'm fine. I just...alright. Grissom called last night."

"And? What did he say?"

"I didn't pick up. He left a message." Catherine said looking like she was going to cry.

"What did it say?" Sara asked as she sat next to Catherine. Catherine leaned back and closed her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks.

FLASHBACK

"Lindsey honey, are you ready for bed?"

"Yes mommy." Lindsey said jumping into bed as Catherine walked in to tuck her in.

"Okay. Arms in or out?"

"In please."

"Okay. Snug as a bug in a rug." Catherine said tucking Lindsey's blanket tight around her tiny body.

"Mommy?" Lindsey asked sitting up as best as she could.

"What baby?"

"What did uncle Grissom do?"

"What are you talking about baby?"

"Well, he has been gone for a few days and you have been really sad. And he hasn't called and he didn't even say goodbye to me." Lindsey said innocently.

"It's nothing sweetie. It is just something that uncle Grissom and I need to talk about."

"Was it me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh, no sweetie. You haven't done anything. What would make you say that?"

"I don't know. It's just that before uncle Grissom left, he was acting weird. And I think I was getting in his way a lot too. And he hardly talked to me like he usually does. So I thought I made him mad."

"No baby. This isn't your fault. It really isn't anybody's fault." Catherine said hugging her daughter and staring at the floor. "Now, I want you to go to sleep, and don't worry about this okay. You don't need to be worrying about this at all okay. Now sleep tight..."

"Have sweet dreams tonight." Lindsey finished as Catherine walked out and closed the door. Lindsey loved their night ritual. But it had been better since her uncle Grissom had moved in with them. She knew her mother told her not to worry, but she couldn't help it. What ever happened between them effected her too. And frankly she was a little worried. But she eventually fell asleep after about a half an hour.

Catherine was sitting in the livingroom in silence, staring off into space. She was thinking about what life would be like after Grissom came back with Alex. She knew it would be different. But things were so perfect, she hoped it wouldn't change too much. Catherine was lost in her thoughts when the phone rang. She was fumbling around trying to find the phone when the answering machine picked up.

**'Hi you've reached Gil, Catherine, and Lindsey. Please leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks.'** Catherine decided to let it go after hearing her voice on the machine. **"_Catherine? Catherine it's me. I know you're mad at me, but please pick up_." **Catherine froze when she heard his voice. **"_Cath, please. _:sigh: _You have no idea how sorry I am about all of this. I know I should've told you, and I don't expect you to understand why I didn't. I just wanted to tell you that... I love you. I love you and Lindsey so much. God, I can't begin to imagine how confused that little girl must be right now. Tell her I love her and I miss her very much. I miss both of you. I have hardly slept since I left. I miss you so much. I have to go now. Alex and I will be back within a few days. I love you so much._" :CLICK: **And he was gone.

Catherine just sat in the chair next to the answering machine with the phone in her hand, and her finger on the 'talk' button. She wanted to turn it on so much, but wasn't sure what she would say. She was afraid that if she had answered, she would've yelled at him which would only make things worse. She was just glad to hear the comforting sound of his voice. Catherine stood up and placed the phone in the charger and played his message again. When it was finished, she fell down to her knees and began to cry. _'Why didn't I talk to him. Why didn't I tell him I love him and everything will be okay.' _She tried to go to bed, but couldn't sleep. She figured based on what he said in his message, that he was laying awake too at the very same time. She finally fell asleep with only one hour left until she had to get up for work.

END FLASHBACK

"Catherine I'm so sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry for? Grissom is the one who is sorry. He said so about three times. Oh God Sara, I feel so bad. I just let him pour his heart out and made him feel guilty because I didn't pick up. And I was sitting right there too. You could hear it in his voice. He feels so bad Sara."

"Catherine. Exactly how many times did you listen to Grissom's message?"

"I don't know. I lost count after three."

"Oh Catherine." Sara sighed as she stood up. "That's it."

"What? What's it?"

"You can hate me all you want, but I told Nick everything. And he doesn't want you to be alone right now. So he said you and Lindsey could stay with us for a while."

"Sara I could never hate you. I'm not surprised you told Nick. You guys are so close, I kind of expected it. I mean everyone is gonna find out sooner or later right?"

"I guess so. Catherine, you really shouldn't be alone. Please come and stay with us for a few days."

"Thank you Sara, I really appreciate everything you have done for me, but I think I will just stay at home. I want to be there if Gil calls again."

"Catherine please, I don't want you by yourself. Please..."

"Sara, thank you. You have no idea how much you and Nick mean to me. But I just want to stay at home. Besides, Gil will be home in a few days."

"Okay. Fine."

"Lindsey can stay with you guys if she wants to."

"She must be so confused."

"Yeah, she is. She started asking me questions. That poor child thought she did something wrong that made him go away. She is so worried about me."

"She wants to be there for you Catherine. Are you sure you want her to stay with us?"

"Only if she wants to. I just don't want her to see me cry anymore. Last night I was afraid I was going to wake her up, and she wouldn't know what to do." Catherine said as she started to cry.

"Okay. I'll go talk to Nick. Do you want to ask Lindsey, or do you want me to do it?"

"We can do it together at lunchtime."

"Okay. Do you want me to stay with you for a while?"

"No that's okay. You go ahead and get back to work. I'll talk to you later."

Later that night at Nick and Sara's house...

"Hey kiddo, how are you doing?" Sara asked Lindsey as she walked into the spare bedroom.

"I'm okay."

"Are you almost ready for bed?"

"Yes. Do you know how mom does it?"

"Yes I do. Why, do you want me to do it her way?"

"Please."

"Okay." Sara said smiling and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Okay kiddo. Do you want your arms in or out?"

"Out."

"Okay. Snug as a bug in a rug. Is that right?" Sara asked as Lindsey smiled.

"Uh huh. Hey uncle Nicky!"

"Hey sweetheart. I just came in to say goodnight." Nick said sitting behind Sara on the bed. "Whoa! What's this? Is this a little foot I'm feeling? Well, I think I'll just have to take care of this little thing." He said tickling Lindsey's feet.

"Stop! Stop I give up!"

"Okay kids, calm down." Sara said looking directly at Nick. Lindsey's face straightened as she stared at the pattern on her comforter. "Lindsey, what is it sweetie?"

"I just...I don't get why uncle Grissom left. And I don't get why mommy is so sad. She told me not to worry about it, but I can't help it. If something is wrong, I can't help but feel bad because I don't know what to do. I don't like to see mommy cry."

"I know sweetie. But this is something that your mom and uncle Grissom need to talk about. They will talk to you about it when he comes home."

"You know what it is don't you?" Lindsey said looking hurt. "How come everyone else knows and I don't! I don't know why uncle Grissom left, or why my mom keeps crying, and you do! I want to know! Please!" Lindsey said starting to cry.

"Shh. It's okay. I promise they will tell you." Sara said taking Lindsey in her arms.

"Why can't you tell me? Please aunt Sara."

"I can't. I want to, but it isn't my job to tell you this. But I promise you will find out soon." Sara said as Lindsey reached up and hugged Sara tightly, still crying. Sara looked over to Nick, and he noticed she too had tears in her eyes.

"I just don't want her to cry. She thinks I didn't hear her last night after uncle Grissom called, but I did. I stayed in my room because I knew she wouldn't want me to see her. I just want to know what he could have done that is so bad."

"I know, but I can't." Sara said as tears ran down her cheeks. Nick stood up and gently guided Sara out of his way and took her seat on the bed.

"Lindsey, I know how confused you are, believe me. And I know you want answers, but it is just too complicated for us to explain. That is why we have to leave it up to your mom and uncle Grissom to do that. Do you understand?"

"I guess so." She said hugging Nick as he stood up again.

"Okay then. You had better get some sleep or your mom will think we let you stay up all night watching television."

"Okay. Goodnight aunt Sara, goodnight uncle Nick."

"Goodnight sweetheart." Sara said walking to the door way and watched as Nick tucked Lindsey back in under her covers.

"Sleep tight..." Nick started as he turned to Sara.

"Have sweet dreams tonight." Lindsey finished as they left. She closed her eyes, but didn't fall asleep. Sara closed the door as she stood in the hall and talked to Nick.

"God, I feel so helpless. I wanted to tell her. She is so worried and confused Nick. I want to help them, but I feel like I haven't done anything for them."

"I know baby, I know. She will be okay. You have been there for them and done so much for them. And I promise it will all turn out for the best eventually."

"How do you make everything sound so simple?"

"I don't know. I'm just that kind of guy I guess."

"I know. That's what I love about you. You can look at any situation and make it sound so simple. I just hope you're right for their sakes."

"Me too. I just..."

"Shh..." Sara said leaning toward Lindsey's door. "Do you hear that?" Sara said as Nick also put his ear near the door.

"_Dear God, please help my mom and uncle Grissom. I don't know what's wrong, but it seems to be pretty bad. I don't know why uncle Nick and aunt Sara couldn't tell me, but I'm not mad at them, they are probably doing what my mom wants. Please God, don't let mommy and uncle Grissom split up. Mommy has been really happy for a long time and I feel like I have a dad now. I just don't want them to be sad. Please, I just want uncle Grissom to come home so we can be happy again. I thank you God for my friends and family and please help them and keep them safe, especially uncle Grissom where ever he is. Amen._"

Nick and Sara just stared at each other with tears in their eyes. They heard her moving around a little bit and when it was quiet they decided to go to bed themselves. Neither of them said a word except their goodnights. They turned out the lights and tried to sleep, both of them thinking about nothing but their friends and the heartfelt prayers Lindsey had said. Neither of them were surprised, just touched. Lindsey had been taught by Catherine since she was little to say her prayers, and both Nick and Sara had heard her say them many times. But what shocked them was that this little girl knew nothing about the crisis at hand, but had enough knowledge to ask God for help. Nick and Sara went to sleep, like Lindsey, hoping her prayers would be answered.

A/N: ::sniff sniff tear tear:: So what did you think? Was it too much? Hard to understand? Or was it actually good with no problems whatsoever? LOL If it was too much, let me know so I don't do it again in the future. And if anyone has a problem with the whole praying part and everything, I apologize. I thought it would help the story in a way (don't ask me to explain how because I'm not exactly sure) and I also thought it would be kind of cute and touching, you know? And the night time ritual, does anyone recognize it? Sandra Bullock fans? Let me know if you know what it is.And I'm still waiting to hear from you guys about if Nick and Sara are married or not. I would really like your opinions. Thanks!

-Sweet Jorja


	7. Coming Home at Last

A/N: Hey y'all! You still haven't answered my poll yet on Nick and Sara, so I'll just have them in a serious relationship. I know I haven't updated in a while. This chapter has been done for a while, it's just been on the back burner for a while. the next chappy will be up soon, I promise. Anywhoo, get reading! Enjoy!!

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Catherine walked into the lab with Lindsey in search for Sara.

"Linds, do you see Sara?" Catherine asked frantically looking around.

"No mommy." Lindsey said holding Catherine's hand, also looking. "Oh mommy, there she is! Aunt Sara!"

"Hey Sara!"

"Oh hey guys. What's going on?"

"Mommy was looking for you." Lindsey said smiling.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you." Catherine said giving Sara an urgent look.

"Okay. Hey Lindsey, Greggo is waiting for you."

"Okay. See ya!" She said running down the hall.

"Cath? What's up?" Sara said as they went into Grissom's office to sit.

"Gil called again. Earlier today."

"What did he say? Did you pick up this time?"

"No, I wasn't home. I was shopping then I went to pick Lindsey up from your house."

"Oh, well, what did he say?"

"He said he will be home tonight with Alex. He said his flight was supposed to leave at 8."

"Eight? If everything was on time, he should be getting home now. Like right now."

"I know. Sara I don't know if I can face him. I don't know what to do."

"Well, I hope you figure it out really quick. Because he knows you're here and he might come here to see you before he goes to the house."

"I know. He said he wanted to tell everyone. He didn't want me to do it."

"Okay. I won't say anything."

"How am I going to tell Lindsey?"

"I don't know. You'll find a way." Sara said comforting her friend. "Catherine, I need to talk to you about something that happened last night."

"What?"

"When we tucked Lindsey into bed, she started asking us questions. We didn't tell her anything, but she knows something is really wrong. She heard you crying after Grissom called the other night."

"She did? Oh God. I never wanted her to see me crying. It makes her worry, and I don't want her to worry." Catherine said with tears in her eyes.

"That isn't it. Nick and I were about to go to bed when we heard her talking through the bedroom door." Sara sighed. "She was praying to God that he would make everything okay."

"She did? Well, she will find out soon enough." Catherine smiling and chuckling almost to herself.

"What?"

"Well, I find it interesting that an adult who would know everything about a problem would either blame God or not even pray at all or anything. But a nine year old girl who knows almost nothing about a problem, turns to God for answers when she doesn't know what else to do."

"Well, that shows that you have brought her up right. And you still are."

"Yeah. We should get out of here, when Gil gets here, this is probably the first place he will go. I'm just not ready to see him yet."

"I understand. Come on Cath." Sara said as they left.

-----------

Grissom walked into the lab in search of Catherine. He went to his office, but she wasn't there. He went to the break room and caught Greg, Nick and Warrick as they were leaving.

"Yo Grissom, where have you been man?" Warrick said walking in front of Nick.

"Yeah, Catherine has been really upset." Nick said almost angrily. He noticed the girl standing behind him.

"Hey guys. Where's Catherine? I need to see her."

"Who's that?" Greg asked also noticing Alex.

"This is Alexandra. She's my daughter."

"Your what?" Warrick asked dropping his cup, thankfully the coffee was gone.

"Daughter? Since when? How could that have happened?" Greg asked as shocked as Warrick.

"I'll explain later. Where is she?"

"She doesn't want to see you." Sara said harshly as she walked up behind Grissom.

"Sara. Please, where is she?"

"Grissom, she still needs time to think. She isn't ready to see you yet." Sara said looking at Alex. "You must be Alexandra. I'm Sara."

"Hello. I've heard so much about all of you." She said turning to Grissom and saying something to him in sign. '_I think this was a bad idea, I don't think they like me_.'

'_It's okay. They just have to get to know you_.' He signed back as Sara moved next to Nick. "Sara, please I need to find her."

"She knows you are here, and she needs a little more time to think."

"Sara, we can't argue about this. I need to see her."

"Grissom, I don't want to argue with you either, but she doesn't want to see you yet." Sara said angrily as Grissom turned to Alex.

"Alex, why don't you look around a bit. I'll come find you later."

"Okay. It was nice finally meeting all of you." She said walking down the corridor.

"Sara, please tell me where she is now! I know you guys are friends, but you can't let her hide from this forever! Now tell me!" Grissom said angrily stepping toward her as Nick stepped in front of him.

"Hey, don't yell at her! She is only trying to protect Catherine! Now she says Catherine doesn't want to see you yet, so just leave her alone!" Nick said defending Sara.

"Nick, I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I need to know where she is."

"I think Nick is right, just give Catherine a little while to think okay? Give her a little time." Warrick said stepping between Nick and Grissom.

"Okay, but if she doesn't come to me by the end of the shift, you have to tell me where she is." Grissom said turning to Sara.

"Fine."

"Now Grissom, why don't you explain all of this to the rest of us so we can understand." Greg finally spoke up.

"Fine, let's go into the break room." He said as everyone filed in and sat around the table.

-----------

Meanwhile...

Alex was walking around the lab. Everyone was staring at her. Of course it was strange to have a teenager walking around the lab unsupervised. But they saw her visitor's pass and FORENSICS jacket with Grissom's name on it, so they didn't say anything. Alex walked up to one of the interrogation rooms to check it out. She opened the door, and found someone sitting inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know someone was in here." Alex said as the person turned around.

"Oh no. It's okay. I'm not with anyone."

"Are you... Catherine?" Alex asked as Catherine wiped her eyes.

"Yes I am." She said looking over and standing up. "You must be Alex."

"How did you know?"

"You have your father's eyes. How did you know me?"

"My dad has told me so much about all of you. He showed me pictures of everyone so I would know you when I got here." Alex said staring at the floor. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for any trouble that I have caused between you and my dad. And I know this must be hard for you. I know you are probably upset with my dad too. But he has been so, sad. He told me that you were mad at him and he was just depressed. I could tell that he missed you and Lindsey very much."

"He told you about Lindsey too?"

"Yes. She looks really sweet."

"She is. She loves your father very much." Catherine said looking at the floor. "I love him very much too."

"I know. And I'm sorry about all of this."

"It isn't your fault. It isn't anybody's fault."she said shifting a little in her seat. "Do you want to have a seat?" Catherine said smiling as she wiped her eyes again.

"Sure."

"So, uh, how do you like Las Vegas so far?"

"It's great. And very bright." She said smiling. "My dad gave me some pictures when he first moved here. He told me when he first met you, how much he liked you. I kept asking him questions about you and everyone else that he works with, so he just gave me pictures so I could see for myself." She said smiling.

"So I guess you've known about us for a while huh?"

"Yeah, I have been dying to meet everyone, but my grandmother would never let me come."

"I'm sorry about your grandmother."

"It's okay." Alex said as they heard running, and the door opened.

"Mommy! He's back, uncle Gil is back!" Lindsey said pulling Catherine's arm, then turning when she noticed Alex. "Hi."

"Hello there. You must be Lindsey. My name is Alexandra."

"Really? My middle name is Alexandra. Wow, that's cool. Isn't that cool mommy?"

"Yes it is sweetheart." Catherine said as she turned and looked from Lindsey to Alex and back to Lindsey again. "Uh, Linds, go stay in the lab with Greg, I'll come get you in a few minutes."

"I can't mommy, he is with uncle Gil."

"Uh, okay. Go talk to them, but don't tell uncle Gil I'm here."

"Why not mommy?"

"I'm, uh..."

"We are playing hide and seek and he is looking for me. And if he finds your mom, he will find me too. So keep quiet okay?" Alex said as Catherine looked up to her.

"Oh! Okay. Shh." Lindsey said putting a finger over her lips as she left the room.

"Thanks." Catherine said letting out a sigh. "Wait, why did you do that?"

"I know you probably want to think. And since you wanted to think, I'll leave you alone for a while. Don't worry, I won't tell my dad you are here."

"No, Alex. Please, stay. I would like to talk to you."

"Okay. Sure." She said sitting back down.

"So, tell me about yourself. When is your birthday?"

"Okay, my birthday is September 26."

"Really? That is so weird."

"What is?"

"That is Lindsey's birthday too."

"Wow, that is weird. Does she like butterflies? I love butterflies."

"Yeah, Gil gets her everything in butterfly patterns if it is available. It is so strange how alike you two are. You don't even know each other. I mean you even have the same-" Catherine cut off as her mouth stayed open.

"What? What is it?"

"Well, I just remembered something from before Lindsey was born."

"What?"

"Well, I had already picked Lindsey as her first name, and my ex-husband didn't want to help me pick out her middle name so I asked Gil and your name was the first thing he said. I liked it so much, I used it." She said smiling.

"Wow, I thought it was...I don't know, more of a coincidence."

"I guess not." Catherine said grinning. "Despite what it may seem, I am really glad to meet you Alex. I am upset with your dad, but I still love him very much."

"Catherine, I know how much my dad loves you. He told me years ago that he loved you. He didn't mean to hurt you. That is the last thing he would ever do."

"I know he didn't mean for it to be like this." Catherine said as she looked at Alex and smiled. "So, how old are you?"

"I'm going to be sixteen this year."

"Wow, it's a big year for you and Lindsey. She is going to be ten."

"Yeah, that was a big one for me too."

"Maybe we can have a party." Catherine said still smiling.

"That would be nice."

"So, what kind of things do you like? Well besides butterflies."

"I like science. That is mostly from my dad. I like some country music and southern rock."

"Lynard Skynard?"

"Yes. I like...um... Freebird and Sweet Home Alabama."

"Me too."

"At least now we have one thing in common."

"We have more than one." Catherine said smiling. "Aside from the music and your father, there must be more. We just have to find them."

"I guess so." Alex said smiling back.

---------

"Uncle Gil! You're home!"

"Hey Linds!" Grissom said hugging the child as she came into the room. "Oh, I missed you!"

"I missed you too."

"Lindsey, do you know where your mom is? I need to talk to her."

"Nope. I was with Greggo, and he left so I came to look for him." Lindsey said smiling innocently. Everyone standing behind Lindsey noticed she had hand behind her back with her fingers crossed. Sara, Greg, Warrick, and Nick all traded looks when they saw Lindsey's hand behind her back.

"Uh, Linds, go on back to the lab. I'll be there in a second." Greg said smiling.

"Okay. Bye!" Lindsey said running out of the room.

----------------------

"Really? I loved that movie. Sandra Bullock is just awesome. Especially as a witch." Catherine said to Alex smiling as they talked about Alex's favorite movie Practical Magic.

"Yeah, I have seen a few of her other movies too. Oh! Miss Congeniality, now that was funny." Alex said as Catherine laughed again.

"Yes it was. I like the part when she calls her beauty coach a 'Doughnut Nazi', that was classic."

"Yeah, and when she takes the other girls out partying, that was great too." Alex said laughing.

"Hey Alex, I have a feeling we are going to get along great." Catherine said smiling. She realized they had been talking for almost and hour, and she hadn't even cried once.

"Me too. My dad was right about you."

"Really? In what way?"

"You are a terrific person. And I can see what he sees in you. And I like it. I really do."

"Thank you Alex. That really means a lot to me." Catherine said smiling as against her will, a tear of a different sort rolled down her cheek. She wasn't sad or upset, she was happy.

-------------------------

"Okay Sara, it has been an hour and a half, where is she?" Grissom asked getting impatient.

"You said by the end of shift. Not partway through it." She said sitting with Nick on the couch in the break room.

"Come on Sara. Please, I need to see her." Grissom begged as Sara turned her head.

"Look, if she doesn't want to talk to you yet, then give her some space okay?" Nick finally said before it went any further.

"Nick, you don't get how much I need to see her right now. I'm just going to go find her myself." Grissom said standing up. "I don't need-" He cut off when he heard laughing form the hallway. It was Catherine walking toward him with Alex along side her. "Catherine?" He said walking to her.

"Gil."

"Oh God, Catherine I'm so sorry about all of this. I never meant-" Grissom was cut off as Catherine put her arms around his neck and kissed him. She pulled away and smiled. "Catherine..."

"Shh, Gil don't say anything. Please, just don't say anything." She said giving him another deeper kiss.

"What was that for?" He asked as they parted. "I mean you can't say that I deserve it." He said shamefully looking at the floor.

"You just looked like you needed it, that's all." She said smiling.

"Catherine, please. I don't deserve this right now."

"What are you talking about? Gil, I love you. No matter what."

"But Catherine. I know you must be so torn up inside. I know you must be angry at me."

"Yes. I am. But I'm just glad that you are home." She said as tears welled up in her eyes. "I missed you so much. I know you weren't gone that long, but given the circumstances, it felt like years. I'm just glad you're home. I'm glad that both of you are home." She said looking at Alex.

"Hey, don't cry. God, I hate to see you cry." Grissom said quickly wiping her tears away. "Catherine?"

"Huh?"

"Can we go somewhere to talk about this? Please, we really need to talk."

"Gil, we can talk later. I just want to go home..." She said as he looked away for a second, thinking if she wanted him there. "I want to go home with my fiancee' and his daughter." She said smiling as his head shot up and he smiled.

"Okay. Let's go." He said putting a hand on her back to guide her down the hall to Greg's lab to get Lindsey.

"Mommy! Uncle Gil found you!" Lindsey said running to Catherine and jumping into her arms.

"Oh, Lindsey pretty soon you'll be too big for me to pick you up you know." Catherine said groaning against her daughter's weight. Lindsey looked at her and giggled.

"Hi Alexandra." Lindsey said smiling.

"Hi Lindsey."

"Hey Linds, come on we're going home now okay?" Catherine said putting her daughter back on her feet.

"Okay. Is Alexandra coming with us?"

"Yes. We will talk about that when we get home okay?"

"Oh...okay." Lindsey said looking confused as they all started to walk outside. "So where did you go uncle Gil? We really missed you."

"I missed you too sweetheart. I was in California. But we will talk about that later okay?"

"Sure." Lindsey said strapping herself in next to Alex. They rode home in partial silence. Catherine and Grissom would quietly pass a glance at each other, and Lindsey was busy asking Alex questions. What she was asking was nothing compared to what she would find out about this new person in a matter of moments.

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A/N: Okay...so? Love it? Hate it? What? Am I just rambling and wasting my time and yours? I am suffering from a minor... okay a major case of writer's block on this one. This happened once before, but it was much worse. I know what I wanna write, but I don't know HOW to write it. LOL This really sux. LOL But I'll get it out as soon as possible! Who knows... it's probably there now. LOL or it will be....soon...I think....maybe.... Anywhoo Plz review!!

Sweet Jorja


	8. Welcome to the Family

A/N: Hey y'all! I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have been so busy with all kinds of junk like homework, that I haven't had time to work on anything productive! LOL. Anywhoo, Enjoy!!

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"Lindsey, do you understand what I've been telling you?" Grissom asked as Lindsey shifted in her seat, and looked back and forth at the people sitting around her.

"You mean Alexandra is your daughter?" She asked as Grissom nodded. "Why didn't you tell us? Is that why you left before?"

"Yes. I had to take care of something. And now as I told you, Alex is going to live with us now."

"But why didn't you tell mommy? She was so sad! How come you didn't tell her?" Lindsey raised her voice angrily as Grissom took her in his arms.

"I don't know Linds. It seemed like a good idea at the time I guess. But I'm, really sorry. You know how sorry am, your mom knows too. And I promise both of you, all three of you that we will never have to go through anything like this again. Okay?" Grissom said as Lindsey nodded. "Okay. Do you forgive me?"

"Yes." Lindsey said sniffling as she wiped her eyes. "You promise you'll never leave again? I don't want mommy to be sad anymore."

"I promise. I will never leave you again. I love you guys so much." He said taking Lindsey in one arm and Catherine in the other.

Alex watched in awe. She was glad that her father was finally happy. She realized how right he was, Catherine and Lindsey were remarkable people. Grissom lifted his head and motioned for Alex to join them. She felt so at home when she felt Lindsey and Catherine wrap an arm around her. Catherine turned to her and smiled.

"Welcome to the family sweetheart." She said as Alex hugged her tightly.

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A/N: I know, it's really short, but look at the bright side. This just means that there will be another chappy for you nice patient people soon. Check for updates and all that stuff. I hope y'all liked it!

Sweet Jorja


	9. Preparing a Nice Family Dinner

A/N: Hey! I promised y'all something soon. And I think I did alright on that word this time. LOL Anywhoo, here is some more! I know it seems I'm dragging it... but you'll see why I have to do all these details and junk now instead of later. LOL Enjoy!

* * *

After a few minutes, Catherine, Grissom, Lindsey, and Alex parted from one another. Catherine had tears in her eyes. But for once in a few days they were tears of happiness. She looked up when she felt Grissom's hand on her face. 

"Cath? Are you okay?" Grissom said worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said smiling. "We do need to talk though. Uh... Linds, why don't you show Alex your room. Then you can help her with her things. For now I guess she can use the roll away bed in your room."

"Yes mommy." Lindsey said getting to her feet and taking her new friend... her new sister's hand. "Come on Alex, it's this way." She said leading Alex to her bedroom to show her around. They walked into the small bedroom. The walls were white with framed pictures of hand painted butterflies. They each were different in shape and color and each signed by a member of the team. Alex smiled to herself as she looked around and sat on the bed next to Lindsey.

"Hey Lindsey, are you mad at my dad?" Alex asked when Lindsey stared at the floor in her own world.

"Well, I just- I'm not mad. I mean I still love him and all. I just wish he told us. Or at least my mom."

"I know." Alex replied, and after a short silence she spoke again. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. Why would I be?"

"Well, it's hard to explain." Alex said looking at the floor. "I just want to make sure we are going to get along. That's all."

"I think we will. I think you're really nice. And now I get what I have always wanted... I have a sister." Lindsey said smiling.

"Thanks Lindsey. That means a lot." Alex said giving her to-be little sister a hug after their first heart to heart. She felt good. And she knew she and Lindsey would have a great relationship.

"So... I think I know what you want to talk about Catherine. I mean it is very obvious." Grissom said sitting next to her on the couch, handing her a glass of iced tea.

"Look Gil, I'm not going to tell you how disappointed I am or how upset I feel about all of this. Well, I will admit I was pretty upset. But it is in the past and there is nothing we can do to change the fact that you have a daughter that you never mentioned to anyone. As bad as it was, don't dwell on it. What's done is done."

"Are you saying that all is forgiven and it's in the past so don't worry about it, you're off the hook?" Grissom said almost not believing her.

"Well now I didn't say that." Catherine said not being able to keep a smirk from forming on her face. "I'm not letting you off that easy."

"Okay. I'll do anything. You name it."

"Anything?" Catherine asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Ye-yeah... anything." Grissom answered hoping he wouldn't regret it.

"Well, there are some things I saw in this really expensive boutique that I wanted to get. And I have to get some jewelry to go with that..." Catherine started as Grissom suddenly looked like he was about to have a heart attack. "I'm kidding! Do you really think I would do that to you?"

"Well..." Grissom said getting a slap on the arm. "Oww! Okay! What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know Gil. The ball is in your court now. Let's see what you come up with." She said smiling mischievously and he gave her a crooked smirk. He knew what she was talking about. And he didn't really mind at all.

"Okay my dear. I get the picture. And I know exactly what I am going to do."

"Really? What's that?"

"Well, all I will say is that as your fiancée' I will give you the queen treatment and pamper you to your heart's extent...uh... within a certain limit of course as we need some money for our upcoming blessed event. And this includes a new designer dress of your choice, jewelry, and dinner that ends with a romantic evening of... well you get it. And as your boss I am giving you two days off every week for wedding planning and Sara will get days off when you need her until the wedding. That is unless we desperately need you... the team I mean. If it were me, you'd never get time off." He said smiling.

"You mean you are going to do all of this for me?" Catherine asked smiling.

"Yes. I think you deserve it. So, am I cleared?"

"Well, now that you mention the wedding... I want you to help when I need your opinion. On everything but the gown. Then after suffering through planning, you will be cleared."

"Well, now that that's taken care of... what are we going to do now?"

"Hmm, I don't know." Catherine said leaning about to kiss him. "Actually, I think I need to make dinner." She said turning away before her lips touched his.

"Hey! Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!" Grissom said pulling the waistband of her jeans, causing her to fall into his lap. He kissed her deeply and smiled when they broke apart. "And since you tried to run... you get this!" He said tickling her.

"No! Gil stop! Stop that!" Catherine said between shrieks. Lindsey and Alex heard the commotion and walked to the edge of the top of the stair case. Everything went dead quiet when Lindsey yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Come on guys! Get a room! There _are_ kids here ya know!" After a short silence she heard Grissom and Catherine laughing, and Grissom yelled back.

"Yes mother!" He released Catherine and she went to the bottom of the stairs.

"Hey, can you girls come down for a minute?"

"Sure. Come on Alex." Lindsey said as they went downstairs and followed Catherine into the kitchen.

"Okay. I want to make dinner, but I don't know what you like Alex."

"Well, anything is okay really."

"Hmmm, okay. What about dessert? We could have cookies, ice cream, or an apple pie I picked up at the store a few days ago."

"Well, I'm not sure if I can have any of that. I'll have to look at the packaging."

"Why? Don't you like that stuff?" Lindsey said staring at her in disbelief.

"Yes, but I'm diabetic."

"What does that mean?"

"It means she has to be careful of how much sugar she has." Catherine said smiling. "And it's nice to know that too, because the tricky thing is that she can get sick if she has too much or not enough sugar."

"That's right. But I'll tell you about all of that later."

"Okay. Come on Alex. Let's go get your stuff." Lindsey said pulling Alex by the arm.

"Go on. But remember, dinner in an hour!" Catherine called to them as Grissom walked into the kitchen. "So, Alex is diabetic. Is there anything else I need to know about for future reference?"

"Sorry. I know I forgot to tell you about that. But yes, there is one more thing."

"Okay. I'm listening."

"Alex is completely deaf in her left ear and has only 10 unaided hearing in her right ear. But she obviously has a hearing aide."

"It isn't the same thing you had is it?"

"No. The fact that Nicole was deaf and there is a history of deafness in my family, it didn't surprise me. She can sign, but she has a little bit of trouble reading lips. I'm sure she'll tell you if she has any trouble though."

"Of course." Catherine said getting the things she needed to make dinner.

"You know, I think you and Alex should teach me and Linds to sign. You know, just incase."

"Absolutely. Lindsey is already learning." Grissom said smiling.

"Right." She said turning to cut tomatoes for salad. Grissom came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You know how much I love you right?"

"After all of this? Now more than ever." She said smiling. She turned and he leaned in to kiss her. "You know, if you keep doing that, we may have to order in. I'll never get dinner done."

"Who needs food?" He said kissing her again.

"Come on Gil. The girls are probably hungry." She said as he kissed her again. "Go! Out now!" She said laughing as she pushed him out.

"Fine. I have to call Warrick about the case to see how far they got today anyway."

Grissom left and Catherine continued making dinner. She couldn't believe how everything was beginning to work itself out. Soon she would marry the man of her dreams and their families would become one. Everything was perfect.

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A/N: So? Is everyone still interested? Anyone? Buler? Buler? LOL Okay, one more draggy chapter... then more details, totally boring... then some good stuff... then more draggy stuff... wow... I drag a lot huh? Kinda like this note. LOL. Anywhoo, I hope y'all liked it! Check for reviews and junk and plz review!...wait a moment! LOL. I have a question for everyone. And I REALLY need everyone to answer this one. Should I keep going with the boring details and I don't know... have a chappy on their dinner and Alex's first night in Vegas? Or should I skip ahead to the wedding and we can find out stuff about Alex as we go along? It doesn't matter to me. I mean y'all are the ones reading it. LOL. PLEASE let me know! 

Sweet Jorja


	10. LeoMein and Nick Names

A/N: Okay so I'm guessing I wrote this around Christmas because of the thing that comes after this in my notebook. Anywhoo...what do you all care? It's now August and most of you could care less about my personal life. (Yes I wrote this in August....last august as in 2007 I believe....sad I know.) Anywhoo ENJOY!

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Catherine ran to the door as the bell rang. As a result of Grissom sneaking back into the kitchen, they ended up ordering Chinese food. It worked, everyone got what they wanted. They ate in partial silence, each person asking Alex another question. Lindsey was the most excited and, naturally, she asked most of the questions.

"Alex, what grade are you in?" Lindsey asked intently. "I'm gonna be in the 5th grade when school starts."

"Really? Wow, you're pretty grown up." Alex said smiling. "I'm going to be in the 11th grade."

"What? You mean there are that many?"

"Yeah, there are 12 actually."

"You mean I have to go for 7 more years?" Lindsey whined.

"Yeah you do, sorry to say. But it's not so bad, I promise."

"So Alex, you're a junior? That was my favorite year in high school." Catherine said smiling.

"Yeah, my guidance counselors told me it's the most important year before college."

"So you're thinking of college? What do you want to study?"

"Well, my dad's work has always interested me. I love the work all of you do, I think I might study criminal justice and forensics."

"That's great. At least at that point, we'll be here to help you with the work if need be." Catherine said smiling and taking another bite of her Lao mien. They finished eating in silence until Grissom reached across the table.

"Okay, where are those fortune cookies?" He asked dumping the bag. He picked them all up and dropped them in the center of the table. "Okay, now take the one that is pointing to you and see what it says." Everyone did as he said and he read his first. "Mend broken fences while you can and use your time wisely." He glanced at Catherine and smiled.

"Forgiveness is the key that destroys unhappiness. Don't think, just do. No one is promised a lifetime." Catherine read looking at Grissom blankly. "Okay Linds, your turn."

"You will become close to an un-un-ex-pected friend." Lindsey read aloud and looked confused. "I wonder what that means. Hey maybe it's Alex!" She said smiling widely as Alex blushed.

"Okay sweetie, your turn." Catherine said nodding to Alex.

"Today is the day for a new adventure. Good or bad it will be the time of your life." Alex read smiling.

"Now that's one of the most truthful I've heard in a while." Grissom said with a wink.

"Hey, what's that on the back?" Lindsey said pointing to the slip of paper.

"Oh, it's one of the ones with a Chinese word on it. '_Mei-mei_' it means 'little sister', that's cool."

"'_Mei-mei_' I like that! It sounds pretty!" Lindsey said grinning.

"Me too. I think it's cute." Alex said smiling as she and Lindsey looked at each other. Catherine and Grissom exchanged glances then stared at the girls. They both knew everything would work out fine.

"Mommy, may we be excused? I want to show Alex some stuff in my room."

"Okay. Have fun girls."

"I'll be in to set up your bed in a bit Alex." Grissom said putting an arm around Catherine.

"Okay daddy." She said kissing his cheek as she passed him, following Lindsey.

"Wow, would you look at those two? They're getting along so well." Catherine said smiling. "And Alex is just the sweetest thing."

"Yeah, she was raised well I must admit. Her grandmother and I may not have agreed on much after Alex's mother died, but we did agree on some of the ways she would be raised. I thank God for that." Grissom said smiling. "I just can't believe all of this is happening. Up until now I'd only dreamed of the four of us together."

"Well it is happening and we are all together. I suppose there are some things we all have to get used to though. And we need to think about getting another house. I don't want Alex to have to use the roll away bed forever. This is her home now and I want her to be absolutely comfortable."

"Yeah, I know. But what about the money?"

"Well I- ::sigh:: I guess we'll have to dip into our savings for the wedding and cut back on a few things." Catherine said sadly.

"No, that is out of the question. You and Sara have worked too hard on the plans. You're not doing that. I want our wedding to be absolutely perfect for you." Grissom said sternly at the thought of jeopardizing Catherine's perfect wedding.

"Well then where do we get it from? I can't take it out of Lindsey's college fund because there isn't enough yet, I only started it a few years ago."

"I have an idea. Once I get the rest of my things here, we can sell my townhouse and see how much I can get to put toward a new house."

"Okay, but what if there isn't enough?"

"You let me worry about that okay? You have enough already."

"Okay." Catherine answered as Grissom kissed her forehead.

They sat for a while until Catherine started nodding off. She and Grissom walked upstairs to check on the girls and smiled as they peered into the room. Alex was sitting on the bed leaning against the wall and Lindsey was lying across the bed with her head in Alex's lap. They were talking and laughing with each other when Grissom knocked softly.

"Hey you two, it's just about time for us old people to go to bed so I'm thinking the younger ones ought to do the same." He said smiling.

"But it's so early! I'm not even tired!" Lindsey protested.

"Linds, come on. Do as you're told. It's been a long day for all of us." Catherine yawned as Lindsey gave in.

"Okay, fine." She went to hug her mother then Grissom. "I love you."

"I love you too." Catherine hugged Lindsey tightly and kissed her cheek as Grissom finished setting up the bed for Alex. Catherine stepped in front of Alex and they stared for a moment.

"Goodnight Catherine."

"Goodnight Alex. Sleep well. If you need anything we're right down the hall." Catherine said hugging her.

"Okay thank you." She said turning to hug her father. "Goodnight daddy. I love you."

"Goodnight sweetheart."

They all went to sleep with the same thought about just how different life would be with Alex around. As with everything, time will tell.

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A/N: Well there y'all go! Now I'm off to finish cleaning my room cuz I can't stand it anymore, I'm getting to claustrophobic in here. Yay for spell check!! LOL Anywhoo...if we have any Browncoats reading this...yes I got _mei-mei_ from '_Firefly_' and I think I will be using it throughout this story. Anywhoo r&r! Peace, love, and CSI!

~Sweet Jorja


	11. Every Fairy Tale Needs a Castle

A/N: Dang its been WAY too long. Anywhoo...here you go! Enjoy.

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6 Weeks Later...

Alex chased Lindsey across the front yard as they waited for Catherine and Grissom to come out. A few minutes later Catherine came out, keys in hand.

"Girls, time to go." She smiled. She was glad Alex and Lindsey had been able to get along as well as they had. Grissom joined them and they all climbed into the Tahoe and strapped in.

"What are we doing today mommy?" Lindsey asked looking out the window.

"We're going to look at the new house today." Catherine said looking to Grissom, her smile still faint.

"Don't worry. We'll get it." Grissom said placing his hand on hers. He knew she was worried about how they would pay for the house. It was more room than they really needed, but the last thing they wanted was to not have enough room to breathe.

"I know. This is just such a great house, I just don't know how we're going to pay for it."

"We'll find a way."

"Yeah but the townhouse didn't sell for as much as we thought it would; I don't think it will help nearly enough."

"I promise, we'll get it." Grissom said smiling. They were silent for most of the ride and Grissom watched Lindsey smile in the rear view mirrior. "Well here we are. What do you think?"

"Wow! It's huge!" Lindsey said running around the house, checking out the yard.

They walked in together and explored the house. There was a small foryer and directly to the right was a room- suitable to be an office- big enough for Catherine and Grissom to each share. There was a large living room just past the office. There was a staircase at each end going to opposite ends of the balcony style hallway above. There was an entrance way to the kitchen at the end of the living room and to the left of that there was a dining room. On the second floor the master bedroom was back toward the front of the house. Next, in the middle between the two staircases was a small- but good sized bedroom with an attached bathroom. Catherine had originally assigned it to be Lindsey's bedroom. At the other end of the hallway was the last bedroom. It was just a little bigger than the master bedroom- but the bathroom was smaller. The room seemed like one big semi-circle. The only flat wall was the one that ran along the hallway.

"Wow! This room is huge!!" Lindsey said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah it is." Catherine said smiling. "Alex this is your room. I figured now you're at a time when you are going to want your own space. I mean you can get a bed in here- a desk- maybe a few other things here." Catherine moved around the room as she talked.

"Oh this is way too much room for me." Alex said looking around the room in amazement. "Why don't Linds and I share it?"

"Well- I don't see why not. Are you sure you're not going to want your own room though?"

"No, I'll be fine. I promise." Alex said smiling. "Besides, Linds needs a lot of room too. Don't you _mei-mei_?" Alex said smiling to Lindsey.

"Yeah! Mom can we? Please?" Lindsey pleaded as Catherine looked at Grissom.

"Alright. I don't see why not." She said thinking about what she could do with the extra room. "Well, my original plan was to have you guys have your own little homework office in the basement, since it's made to be another room. But I guess we can just use this extra bedroom. It can be an office and a guest bedroom. What do you think?" Catherine said trailing off then looking at Grissom.

"It sounds like a plan." He said smiling. He knew it was more room than they needed. But he knew how much Catherine loved the house and all he wanted to do was make her happy; at any cost. He was pulled form thought when his phone rang. "Grissom?...Yes, I am her father...do we have to fly out there for that?...Okay. I have to discuss it with my family...well she is still a minor, can't you just-...alright. This isn't really a good time. If you call back later I'll have her talk to you then...thanks, bye." Grissom hung up and looked around him at the expectant faces.

"What's going on dad?" Alex asked knowing that the call obviously involved her.

"It was your grandmother's lawyer. They were finally able to finalize the paperwork involving her estate. He wanted to talk to you directly so he'll call back later." He turned to Catherine. "We're going to have to fly out to California for a little while. Just until everything is settled."

"Alright." Catherine said with a sigh. "I guess I can hold the shift while you're gone."

"Well we could always make a trip of it." Grissom said smiling.

"Well given the reason for the trip- I don't know how much fun it would be." Catherine said looking at the ground for a moment before looking back to Grissom. "You and Alex go and get things settled. Besides..." She lowered her voice. "We can't really afford to be spending any extra money on a trip right now."

"Yeah- I know. I just hate having to leave you alone for so long."

"Don't worry, okay? You'll be back before you know it." Catherine said looking back to the girls. "So what do you guys think? To you like it?"

"I love it!!" Lindsey screamed, causing an echo in the empty house. She placed her hands over her mouth- still smiling- when she heard the great echo.

"It's great." Alex said looking around the house again. She thought about all the memories they would make here. The games they would play, the laughter, the meals- everything. She was glad that finally she had a family that consisted of more than one person. She was humbled to the way Lindsey and Catherine especially had opened up and treated her as a member for their family from moment one. Sure her father was marrying Catherine, but just the idea of her was thrown at Catherine pretty suddenly yet still she was accepting nonetheless. She thanked God for that much. Now she could feel like she was part of something- she felt like she was home.

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A/N: Okay so it isn't much. But I'm still having some writers block on this fic- all of my fics. Anywhoo- hope y'all liked it! Stay shiny everyone! Peace, Love, and CSI!

Sweet_Jorja


	12. Blessings From Sadness

A/N: Hey y'all! Here's chapter 12! Enjoy!

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Grissom zipped his suitcase and pulled it off the bed in the room he share with Catherine. He lugged it through the house to the front door and he turned around to call for Alex.

"Alex? You ready to go?" He called to her as she came out from the hallway.

"I just have to close up my suitcase."

"Okay. Just come out when you're done and I'll go back and grab it for you."

"Alright." She walked back to Lindsey's room and zipped her suitcase.

"Why can't you stay here?" Lindsey asked sadly, sitting next to Alex's suitcase on her bed.

"I don't know. The man that called said I have to be there." Alex said trying to resist looking at Lindsey. She placed a hand on her face. "Not to worry _mei-mei_. I'll be back before you know it. Now give me a smile." Alex said as Lindsey smiled lightly. "Can you carry this for me?" Alex said holding out a small backpack. Lindsey nodded and took it as Alex pulled her suitcase down the hallway. When she got to the end of the hallway she saw her dad.

"Alex I told you I'd get that for you."

"I know- I just thought I'd help." She said smiling.

"Alright. Just leave it next to mine by the door then go to the dining room." Grissom said as Alex nodded. She did as she was told with Lindsey following close behind and after a few moments Grissom and Catherine met them in the dining room. Catherine left to go to the kitchen and came back with four sandwiches and set one in front of each person.

"Eat up guys, we have to get going." She said smiling. She pulled a small box and a plastic bag out of her pocket. "You don't want to forget this." She said placing the insulin and needles in front of Alex.

"Oh thank you Catherine." She said glancing at her father sheepishly.

"I though you said you packed it."

"I thought I did." She said smiling, knowing he wouldn't actually be angry. He tried to look angry for a moment, then he gave up and just smiled at her.

"Come on, eat up. Our flight leaves in a few hours and we need to get to the airport early." Grissom said finishing his sandwich. He didn't even realize he had eaten the whole thing already until he went to eat more and there was nothing left to eat.

"Oh Gil, before I forget. I heard from the realtor this morning. He said he is willing to make an adjustment on the payments to start off with until we can get on our feet." Catherine said, surprised that the company would go to such lengths to help them. "I told him you had to go away next week so he said as long as we have at least half of the down payment by then it should be fine."

"Okay. Will you be able to take care of all of that by yourself while I'm gone?"

"Yeah, it should be fine. I'll call you if I need you. For the house I mean- otherwise we'd never hang up." Catherine said winking at him. She glanced at Alex and Lindsey and saw slight disgust on their faces. She couldn't help but laugh.

Once everyone was done they headed to the airport. Catherine and Lindsey saw them off and in what seemed like no time at all they were landing. They made their way to San Bernadino and found a hotel to stay in. Grissom called the lawyer's office once they were settled in to set up times to meet.

"What did he say?" Alex asked her father when he hung up.

"Well he said to meet him at the office tomorrow to go over the terms of your grandmother's will. He said as far as we're concerned there is some paperwork that needs to be filed but we shouldn't be here too long."

"Alright." She said pushing her suitcase under her bed. She hoped it would all work itself so she and her father could get back home. That's all she wanted- to be at home with her new family.

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"Ah Alex, Mr. Grissom, welcome." The lawyer greeted them as they entered what appeared to be some kind of board room. Alex and Grissom sat on one side of a long table and on the other side were those involved with the law office and the state offices involving the estate. "Okay we are here to read the last will and testament of one Grace Marie Hadden. Alexandra Nicole Grissom, you are listed as the sole beneficiary of the saved earnings in Ms. Hadden's accounts, these will be wired to a separate account that you will provide for us today. Since you are the only living relative to Ms. Hadden, you are also the beneficiary of her estate and property including her land which she does rightfully own with no ties to the state. Because you are still a minor, as per your grandmother's wishes, the property will be placed in your father's name until you come of age. Once you have turned 18 the property will be your to do with as you wish." Alex stared in shock as the lawyer read everything off to her. "As part of these arrangements, a savings account has been opened in your name which will be available to you when you enter college. A specified amount will be placed there according to your grandmother's conditions. The rest is yours to do with as you please. Do you understand everything that has been read here?" He asked as Alex just stared.

"Yes- but where did it all come from? She hardly spent money she didn't feel the need to. I just assumed she didn't have it. I just can't believe this."

"Well Grace was an intelligent woman Alex- she herself knew she wouldn't be around forever. I guess she figured she would give you something to live on for a while." He said smiling. Alex knew her grandmother and her lawyer were friends long before they had business together.

"Yes I suppose you're right." Alex said staring at the floor.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" Grissom asked placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine." She shook the thoughts from her head. "Are there papers I or my father need to sign so we can go home?"

"Yes they're here. Mr. Grissom, we'll need you to give us information for an account to transfer the remaining funds to and we'll need you to sign the paperwork for Ms. Hadden's property." The lawyer said handing each of them a small stack of papers. "Also, this is the information to the college fund account for when Alex applies to any schools in the future."

"I don't have a separate account for Alex yet. I mean she's only been with us for a little over a month. And the only account I have is the one I share with my fiancee'." Grissom said as Alex tugged his sleeve.

"Just put it in your account. I just want to go home." Alex said as Grissom looked her over. He knew something was off. He knew having to deal with her grandmother's estate would upset her a little- but she still seemed off.

"Okay." He wrote down his account information and signed his remaining forms.

"Okay. The money should be in your account within the next few days if not sooner. We should be all done here." He got up and shook their hands. "I am sorry Alex." He said pausing and looking at her.

"I know. Thank you." She said smiling graciously.

"Take care alright?"

"Of course." Alex said and within moments they were outside the office. Alex froze as she felt her dad touch her shoulder.

"What was wrong back there?"

"Huh? Oh it was nothing. Just- I miss her."

"I know you do. But you seemed really far away for a while- what's going on?"

"I was just thinking. I have an idea, but you can't say no right away."

"Okay..."

"I want to give some of the money to you and Catherine. That's one reason why I wanted it in your account. Well I mean other than the fact that I don't have an account but-"

"No, Alex that money is for you."

"Look there is already enough in the fund for college. And the rest of it- well it's not like I'm going to be buying a car or a house anytime soon." Alex said taking a breath. "I just- I know Catherine is worried about the money for the house. And I know selling your place wasn't enough. And don't deny it dad, I'm not stupid."

"I know. You're far from it." He paused. "I'm just saying, you might want to buy a car in the future since you'll be driving soon and there might be something you need some of that money for in the future. I just don't want you to feel like you have to give us money."

"I don't. Well in a way I feel like I do- but it's mostly because I want to. I just want to help. I know money is tight between having an extra person in the house now and the wedding planning- I just want to help and now I have a chance." Alex said as Grissom stared at her for a moment.

"Wow." He seemed to say to the air. "You are more like your mother than I ever thought." Alex smiled as Grissom pulled her into a hug. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel and tell Catherine we'll be home in a few hours okay? Once we get home I'll talk to her about the money."

"Okay."

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A/N: Okay so the ending sucks. But it will get better I promise!! Please review!! Stay shiny everyone! Peace, Love, and CSI!

~Sweet_Jorja


	13. Spreading the Wealth

A/N: Hey y'all! Here's chappy 13! Enjoy! I think maybe after this chapter I might skip ahead to the wedding...maybe.

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Alex and Grissom arrived home in time for dinner that night. Catherine decided to make them a special dinner since she had the extra time and she knew Grissom wouldn't be around to distract her. Shortly after they had arrived home, Catherine had the table set for dinner. Alex loved their family meals. It made her feel as though she belonged. It was the time everyone talked about anything and everything.

"How was the flight in?" Catherine asked once they were all settled.

"It was good. It seemed so long though. I just wanted to get home." Grissom said placing a hand on hers. "So, how did things go with the realtor?"

"Well I gave him what we had. He said he would take it for now, but it's less than he is comfortable taking. He said we have a week to give him at least another part of the down payment or he might have to give it to someone else." Catherine said leaning in to him to whisper. "I don't know if we can do it. I think tomorrow I'll call him to get the money back so he can give it to someone else; someone who can afford it."

Grissom wiped his mouth and smiled, glancing at Alex.

"We don't have to worry about that anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well- Alex received a substantial amount since her grandmother's death. A portion of it was put into an account to pay for college but the rest is hers for anything." Grissom said looking at Catherine's expression. She couldn't believe it.

"But Alex that's your money."

"To do with as I please." Alex said smiling. "I know how much this place means to you and my dad. I just want to help in anyway I can. There isn't anything else I need it for since there is already a lot separated for school. I just want to help." Alex said as tears came to Catherine's eyes. She got up and hugged Alex.

"Thank you so much sweetheart." She said unable to stop smiling as she returned to her seat.

"You're welcome." She smiled and took the last bite of her dinner. She whispered to Lindsey and after a few seconds they both rose and started to clear the table.

"Girls you don't have to do that." Catherine said from her seat next to Grissom.

"No it's okay. You and dad can have some time to yourselves. We can take care of it." Alex said winking to Lindsey.

"Alright. Thanks girls." Catherine said as she and Grissom got up and made their way to their bedroom. She helped Grissom unpack as they talked about the trip and the money they had for their new home. Alex and Lindsey finished clearing the table and washing the dishes together and they went back to Lindsey's bedroom for Alex to unpack.

"Alex, are you happy?" Lindsey asked, sitting on her bed while Alex unpacked.

"Of course _mei-mei_. Why do you ask?"

"Well when you first got home you seemed a little sad."

"Oh, well I guess it was just talking about my grandmother and seeing a few of her friends. I guess it just made me a little sad. But I think I'm okay now."

"Oh. I know what you mean. When my dad died, I had to see his friends too and I got sad." Lindsey said picking up a bear from the edge of her bed. Alex stopped and stared at Lindsey for a moment.

"I guess you and I have more than one thing in common, huh?" She asked as Lindsey nodded. Lindsey looked up and smiled.

"Do you wanna play a game when you're done?" Alex smiled at Lindsey.

"Sure. I'll be done in a minute."

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Once Grissom had finished packing, he and Catherine sat at the dining room table with the paperwork for the house spread out across the table.

"Gil, with the money that was added to your account, we have enough for the house and then some. I just can't believe it." Catherine said amazed. Outside of her job or a casino, she had never seen so much money before- certainly not that she could spend. "I still can't believe Alex did this."

"I know. She's one special kid, isn't she?"

"That she is." Catherine said looking at the papers again. Grissom could tell she was forming an idea in her head.

"I know that look. What are you thinking?"

"I have an idea of what we can do with some of the left over money."

"Really? What's that?"

"Well most of the house is pretty modern. But I figured the girls can use a little of it to redecorate their rooms."

"I think that's a great idea."

"It would make me feel better knowing that Alex can use a little of it for something she'd like. Plus we can even get a few new things for the house. I know Lindsey needs a new bed. She's had hers forever."

"Yeah." Grissom thought for a moment. "I'll have to talk to Alex about it, but I think there was talk of selling her grandmother's house. I mean no one is going to be there and some of the things are not only out dated but I don't think any of us will use it. I think we should put some of that into a savings account for the girls. It doesn't have to be for anything specific- but its just in case we need it."

"That's a good idea. I think anything we have left over should go into that." Catherine said smiling when she heard Lindsey and Alex laughing from around the corner in the bedroom. "Well shall we see what the verdict is?" Catherine asked smiling as Grissom nodded. "Girls! Can you come out here please?!" She was slightly saddened as the laughter stopped but her smile came back when the two girls came out smiling, ear to ear.

"Yes mommy?" Lindsey asked slightly confused.

"I have an idea." She looked to Alex. "The money you gave for the house is a little more than we need. Your dad and I talked it over and we decided that you and Lindsey can use some of it to decorate your bedroom and the basement anyway you want."

"Really?! That's so cool!" Lindsey said jumping up and down. She grabbed Alex's hand in excitement. "Isn't that going to be fun?"

"You bet it is!" Alex said bending over so she was face to face with Lindsey. She glanced up at Catherine and smiled. They exchanged words with their eyes that only they knew. Everything was perfect. Catherine went to the counter and picked up a stack of magazines and catalogs.

"Here, these should help." Catherine said smiling. Lindsey took the whole pile and started running for her room. She dropped half of them and stopped in frustration.

"Let me get those Linds. I'll be there in a minute." Alex said smiling. She picked up the magazines and trailed behind Lindsey. Catherine came behind her and stopped her for a second.

"Hey Alex?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you want to have lunch with me tomorrow? I can leave Lindsey with your dad for a little while. Just so we can have some time together."

"Sure." Alex smiled and Catherine nodded and made her way back to Grissom and Alex continued to Lindsey's room. Catherine cleared the papers from the table and Grissom grabbed her waist as she passed by on her way back to the table. He kissed her softly and smiled.

"What was that for?"

"You're just amazing." He said as Catherine smiled. She pulled him up by his hands and they went into the living room and sat on the couch together. Within moments Lindsey came running out followed slowly by Alex.

"Mommy look what we picked!"

"That was quick." She said smiling. Lindsey laid out two torn pages from a magazine. The first was a bedroom with dark blue wallpaper that had celestial patterns on it, mostly stars and a moon here and there. The furnature was cream colored and the bed was sleigh style. "Wow. I figured you guys would have picked the butterfly one I saw in there somewhere."

"Oh we have that one too." Lindsey said matter-of-factly handing her the other page. The wallpaper was white with various types of butterflies randomly placed in no particular pattern or order. The furniture in this setting was a light wood finish.

"Oh I like that one too." Catherine said smiling. "Now which one did you guys want to use?" She asked as Alex moved closer.

"Well we decided to use the blue one for the bedroom and the butterfly one for the basement. Instead of using the spare bedroom for our office, we decided your idea to use the basement as our own homework office was a much better idea. That and it's a bigger space if we needed to work on projects or anything. That way you and dad can either have a separate office or just another spare room." Alex said as Catherine looked at Grissom.

"That's great. I think it will look great." Catherine said smiling. She looked at her watch and saw how late it was. "Okay girls, it's time for bed." Lindsey came and kissed her mother. "Goodnight sweetheart, I love you."

"I love you mommy." Lindsey went to Grissom. "Love you uncle Grissom."

"Good night honey." He kissed her cheek as Alex came behind her. He hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek. "Sleep well. I love you."

"Night dad, love you too." Alex went to Catherine and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight Catherine."

"Good night sweetie. Sweet dreams." She said watching them go off to bed. She smiled and looked at Grissom. "Those are two wonderful girls. It almost makes you wonder how doesn't it?"

"Sometimes, yes." They sat in silence for a moment. "Hey, can you believe it? We're getting married in only two weeks?"

"Oh God. I can't believe it!"

"The sooner it get's here, the sooner everything else will fall into place, right?"

"Absolutely. I can't wait until that happens." Catherine said resting her head on his chest. She felt him let out a great yawn.

"I think we should get some sleep my dear. We have work in the morning. God I hate this daytime scheduling."

"Well at least we get to spend more time with the girls at night." Catherine said smiling. She sat up and patted his leg. "Come on you, time for bed."

"As you wish. I'll be there in a minute." He said smiling. He turned off the lights and locked the door before making his way down the hallway. He looked in on the girls for a brief moment before making his way to the end of the hallway. He was overjoyed at how well everything was working out for them. Between the house, Alex's relationship with Catherine and Lindsey, and even the wedding plans; he couldn't believe everything was working out so well. He climbed into bed and turned off the light. He knew everything was going to be fine for him and his family.

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A/N: Okay so I'm working on the endings. But I think I might just skip ahead to the wedding. I think I owe you people that much. This has been taking a long time. Anywhoo- I hope you liked it! Stay shiny y'all! Peace, Love, and CSI!!

~Sweet_Jorja


	14. Lunch Date

A/N: Hey y'all! So here's chappy 14. This is the lunch that Alex and Catherine planned in the previous chapter. After this chapter I promise- I will skip ahead another few weeks to get this story moving. Enjoy!!

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Alex smiled as the waiter brought them their lunches. She looked over to Catherine.

"Thank you for lunch Catherine." She looked at her surroundings. They were outside of a small cafe on a stone patio. Alex wasn't surprised at the choice of restaurant Catherine had chosen. She was coming to realize that Catherine had very eligant taste- and this place seemed to fit her well.

"No problem sweetie." Catherine winked before taking a bite of her sandwich. "Alex?"

"Yes?" Alex asked blushing as part of her sandwich fell apart in her hands. Catherine chuckled before looking more serious for a moment.

"I wanted to thank you."

"Catherine- you don't have to thank me. I should thank you."

"What for?"

"Well- everything. I mean you and Lindsey opened your home for me, I practically turned your lives upside down when I came here. There aren't many people who would be as kind as you've been to me- given the circumstances."

"I did what I had to do. Your father has been like family to us for a long time. You're his daughter- that makes you like family. That's how you deserve to be treated." She said smiling.

"Well that's why I decided to give you and dad that money. I did what I had to do."

"Alex- you didn't have to do that. But I thank you for it."

"As you said- we're family now. You needed it more than me. That's why I did it. I saw that you guys were worried about the house. I knew when we first went there that you wouldn't be happy with any other house- I don't think any of us would actually. That's what gave me the thought to do it." Alex said as Catherine looked her over. She didn't know anyone at all let alone anyone Alex's age think as she did.

"I understand." Catherine said smiling. They finished their sandwiches in partial silence. Catherine looked at Alex after she had been silent for a few minutes. She looked contemplative. "What's on your mind hun?"

"I have an idea." She paused a moment. She figured Catherine would say no- but Alex wasn't the kind of person to take no for an answer in a situation such as this. "I want you to take some of the money."

"What do you mean?" Catherine asked suddenly puzzled.

"I want you to use some of the money for the wedding."

"Alex- I can't-"

"Yes you can. I mean I didn't bring it up at first because it was too close and I didn't think the money could be used for much. But since you moved the date back- I figured now there is enough time for you to use it."

"Alex, that's sweet- but I already have some put aside."

"I'm an observant person Catherine. I have a feeling you weren't able to keep as much of that for the wedding as you had hoped. You had to use some of it for the first house payment I assume." She paused for a second. "I know it really isn't my business to even speculate any of this- but honestly, am I wrong?" Alex asked softly as Catherine looked down at the table for a moment.

"No, you're not wrong. But that doesn't mean you need to give me money."

"I know I don't have to- I want to. My dad wants nothing more than for you to have your perfect wedding; and I want that too. I have the means to help and I'd like to."

"Thank you Alex. That means so much to me." Catherine said placing a hand on Alex's. Catherine took a moment to look over the bill and sign the receipt before she looked up at Alex smiling. "You know, we should do this again."

"Yes. Thank you again- this was great." Alex smiled.

"You know what we should do? We should do this every week. Have this be our time." Catherine said smiling. It wasn't like she was trying to replace Alex's mother or anything- but she did want Alex to feel as Lindsey did. No different- just as important and just as loved. "Maybe we'll even bring Lindsey every once in a while." She winked.

"I'd like that." Alex said stirring the ice in her drink. She was glad she and Catherine were getting along so well. She had heard stories from kids at her old school that seemed almost like fairy tales; in the sense that their stepmothers hated them. She was glad it wasn't the case with them. Her mother had died when she was so young- she couldn't remember much if anything about her. Catherine would be the only mother she would really remember when all was said and done- she knew Catherine understood that. Alex knew they would get along just fine- better if possible. And just that thought alone was enough to set her mind at ease.

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A/N: Okay so the rambling at the end is a result of it being late and me running out of things to say while trying to make a good ending. Anywhoo- reviews are appreciated! CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is good too. BE NICE! If it sucks- tell me why. Just saying it sucks doesn't help me fix the problem. I NEED DETAILS!! lol Okay y'all! The next chapter will be here soon!

Peace, Love, and CSI. Stay shiny and LOVE EVERYBODY!

~Sweet Jorja


	15. From This Moment On

A/N: Hey all! So this is just a random thought idea because I honestly didn't know how I was going to write the wedding- so if it sucks....sorry. I haven't been to many weddings. Ironically I just went to a wedding a couple weeks ago- but that's not the point. Too many details I know.....but you people know how I am and you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't love it ;) Well....'least I hope not. So the stuff said during the ceremony- I found it online. And I made it less than 'standard' because I'm cool like that. No....I'm not really that poetic. Enjoy!

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It had been three weeks since Catherine had taken Alex to lunch. In that time, they were able to find things for the wedding that almost seemed impossible on such short notice. Catherine turned around carefully on the stool she was standing on. When she stopped, she found herself facing Sara, Alex, and Lindsey.

"Mommy, you look so pretty!" Lindsey said smiling, holding her very own little bouquet of small flowers.

"Wow- Catherine, you look gorgeous." Alex said- almost not believeing it herself.

The gown was floor length all around, with a train just long enough to stand out. The top came off and around the shoulders and was beautifully embroidered with flowers and small jewels and a few sequins scattered around. The sequins and jewels seemed more cluttered toward the top then gradually lessened going down the front of the gown. The skirt wasn't overly large- but big enough to remind Lindsey so much of a princess- that's how she kept referring to her mother. Catherine's hair was pulled up and away from her face- all except for a few strands around her cheeks. The rest was pulled up and left to hang in the back, curled in various places. The vail's design was similar to the gown as it was bordered with floral embroidery and it had jewels and sequins, as on the gown, more at the top, lessening as it went down.

"Cath, you look- just beautiful." Sara said smiling. She turned quickly to a knock at the door- hearing Grissom's voice on the other side.

"Are we almost ready?" Alex looked to the door then back to the others.

"I'll handle this." She said smiling, opening the door just enough so she could slip through- just because she knew he would try to peek. The others listened- trying not to laugh- on the other side. "Hey- you- leave." She said trying not to laugh at the blank expression on her father's face.

"What? I didn't look!"

"Shoo! You almost saw her!" Alex said teasingly pushing her father back toward everyone else. "If we _were_ ready, you wouldn't be. You're not in your place."

"Ha ha ha- very funny."

"I try. Now go! We'll be out in a minute."

"Okay, okay I'm going! Just- don't push me anymore." He paused for a second and looked at her over his glasses. "You'll wrinkle my tux." He said with a wink. He went back out to the front of the church to make sure the others were ready.

The music inviting the wedding procession to start slowly got louder. Grissom made his way to the alter. Nick and Sara walked down together followed by Greg and Alex. Lindsey followed slowly after with her little bouquet, causing a chorus of 'awww' as she made her way next to Alex. Once they had taken their places- the bridal march began and everyone stood. Catherine walked out slowly with Warrick on her arm. Other than Grissom, he was one of her best friends- and she couldn't think of anyone else she would rather have walk her down the isle. For the life of her- she couldn't stop smiling. Grissom swore his heart stopped the moment she came into view. The smile on his face showed that if he had died at that very moment- he would die the happiest man alive. It seemed like everything moved in slow motion as she came toward him. She couldn't hear anything, not even the music being played just a few yards away. Finally after what seemed like forever- Catherine and Warrick stopped moving. He kissed her cheek and took her hand, placing it in Grissom's hand. Catherine turned and handed her bouquet to Sara and she gave her other hand to Grissom as well. Grisson could feel Catherine's hands shaking slightly as the preacher began to speak.

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Catherine and Gilbert a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. If anyone bears any objection- let them say so now or forever hold their piece." He said as Catherine and Grissom both held their breath. After the typical moment of _'does anyone really object?'_ they were able to breathe when the preacher opened his mouth to speak again. "Catherine and Gil will now recite the vows they have written to each other." He said nodding to Grissom. He cleared his throat nervously as he began to speak.

"Catherine, before I met you- my life was quite literally empty and I was lost in a darkness I never thought I'd see the end of. When you and Lindsey came into my life- I finally found the light I had been searching for. The love you've shown for me and my own daughter, the compassion you have throughout your life, and most of all your complete kindness; these are all things I never thought I'd ever see in any one person again." He paused for a moment. "But I did. I am eternally grateful for the love you have shown me and I am committing the rest of my life to you; to show you the same love you have shown me. I've loved you more than you can ever know; and now I have the chance to show you every day for the rest of our lives." He stopped- squeezing Catherine's hands slightly; smiling. It took everything she had not to kiss him right then. Her eyes welled with tears and her smile got wider (if it were possible). She was able to blink the tears away from falling as the preacher nodded her way.

"Gil, since we first met I knew the great friend I had found. You have been there from the very beginning. When I was unhappy or if something went wrong, you were always there to save me. I don't know what I would've done without you." She said as her eyes filled with tears again. "You've changed me in a way I can't explain. The love and kindness you've shown me was something I hadn't experienced in such a long time. And from the deepest place in my heart, I thank you for that. I've dreamed of us being together as a family for a long time." She turned and passed a quick glance at Alex and Lindsey. "And now we get to do that. I love you more than myself- more than life. And I look forward to proving that to you every day for the rest of my life." She finished smiling as a tear finally ran down her cheek. Grissom was quick to wipe it away gently, smiling as the preacher stepped forward toward them again.

"May we have the rings?" The preacher said as Nick took the rings out of a small pouch from his pocket. Catherine and Grissom were each given a ring as the preacher spoke again. "You shall now exchange rings- as symbols of your love and devotion to each other." The preacher nodded to Grissom as he took Catherine's hand again.

"Because this ring is perfectly symmetrical, it signifies the perfection of true love. As I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be." He said as Catherine laughed lightly- as if she couldn't hold in any more happiness.

"Because this ring has no end or beginning, it signifies the continuation of true love. As I place it on your finger, I give you all that I am and ever hope to be." Catherine said slipping the ring on his finger and squeezing his hand. Smiling- anticipating the preacher's next words.

"By the power vested in me by the State of Nevada and the City of Las Vegas, I now pronounce you husband and wife." He paused for a moment, as his own secret pleasure. "You may now kiss the bride." He said smiling- as he and everyone else watched as Catherine and Grissom shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The kiss was light- but filled with a passion that everyone present knew must exist between the two. They were both smiling so wide when they parted- it was as if they felt they were the only two people in the room. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present for the first time in public, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Grissom." Everyone rose and clapped as Grissom kissed Catherine lightly again. They started walking up the isle toward the back of the church. Soon after they were followed by Lindsey, Greg and Alex, and Nick and Sara.

The reception was held at Catherine and Grissom's backyard. Since everything that had gone on- they had managed to move everything into the new house and make it look presentable just in time for the wedding. The wedding party had their table set up on part of a stone patio just outside the house. On the other side of the small patio there were two small tables. One with a few gifts from friends and the other with the three tier wedding cake. Adjacent to the patio was a long table of food set up buffet style. The photographer had followed the wedding party to the reception after the 'official' pictures at the church had been taken. He stood in front of the main table with the wedding party- taking pictures at various angles. Grissom and Catherine said in the middle in decorated chairs. Next to Grissom sat Nick and Sara with Warrick at the end. And next to Catherine sat Lindsey, Greg, and Alex. They all smiled for the various pictures before finishing their meals. After a while the photographer went around taking various candid photos of the reception. Pictures of the first dance between Grissom and Catherine- and a few others with Nick and Sara dancing. Even Greg and Alex danced to a song or two before Lindsey cut in. Some pictures were taken of Warrick dancing with Lindsey before she asked to switch with Alex. Catherine and Lindsey danced while Alex stole Grissom away from Catherine. Alex took an opportunity to talk with Catherine when she got a chance to dance with her new mother. They talked about things they wanted to do and how some things would take place. They looked around and found Grissom dancing with Lindsey standing on his feet. It reminded Alex of when she was younger.

"Excuse me ladies- may I cut in?" Grissom tapped Alex on the shoulder as she nodded and smiled as they started dancing.

"Hey _Mei-mei_ come dance with me." Alex said taking Lindsey by the hand. She said smiling as they started dancing. They stopped when they were surrounded by Warrick and Greg.

"Excuse me- but we seem to have lost our dates. Have you seen them anywhere?" Greg said looking around. "The two gorgeous daughters of the couple. They're around here somewhere." He said as Lindsey jumped up into his arms.

"You silly." She said smiling.

"Man, we must be really bad. They ditched us to dance by themselves." Warrick said jokingly winking. "Man- I screwed up. Linds- I'm sorry I'm a terrible dancer."

"No you're not!" She jumped down out of Greg's arms and grabbed Warrick's hand. "Come on!"

"Traitor!" Greg yelled as they walked away. "Can I have this dance so I don't look like the guy who didn't get the girl?" He said smiling.

"Let's go." Alex said sarcastically. Since she had moved to Las Vegas she and Greg had developed a friendship that would seem sketchy to anyone who didn't know them personally.

"You know, you're not too bad at this."

"Oh well gee thanks."

"No I'm serious. If you were ten years older and your dad wasn't my boss, and trained to use a gun...." Greg was cut off by the urge to laugh hysterically when Alex swatted his arm.

"You always say that." She said sarcastically. "You know- one of these days my dad's gonna hear you joke like that and I think he really will kill you."

"You mean like right now?" Grissom said as Alex's head shot around.

"Hey daddy." She said smiling kissing his cheek.

"Greg, you're not putting the moves on my daughter, are you?" He said sternly- pretending he was angry.

"What? No, Grissom you know I would never-" He stuttered as a smile crept to Grissom's face.

"You know- that never gets old."

"Says you. Just once I'd like to not be the subject of amusement at a party."

"Oh, but Greg you're just so naturally funny. How can we resist?" Alex said trying to hold back a smile. She jumped as Greg poked her side from behind, making it almost unnoticeable.

"Yeah, who's funny now?" He kept poking making her laugh. "Yeah- the crazy girl laughing hysterically at nothing that's who." He said as she turned around grabbing his wrists.

"That is _so_ not nice!" She looked at Grissom jokingly. "Daddy, Greg's being mean again."

"Hey, I'm staying out of this. Besides- I think Catherine's calling me." He said hurrying away.

"Coward!" Alex called laughing as she turned back to Greg. "You're lucky I like you."

"Yeah- there aren't many girls who can resist my boyish charm." He said smiling as Lindsey ran to them- hugging Greg's waist. "See?" He said as Alex rolled her eyes. They turned toward the house as Grissom tapped his glass to get everyone's attention. Everyone took their seats and Catherine and Grissom cut the cake together. Surprisingly, and much to the disappointment of the younger people, there was very little mess when the couple shared the first piece of cake. The rest of the cake was sliced ans served. Shortly afterward they opened the gifts of the usual appliances and household knick knacks. Once the table of gifts was empty- Catherine and Grissom moved to stand in front of the table where the wedding party had been seated and they faced the other tables. Catherine moved herself a small bit in front of Grissom and spoke.

"Gil and I want to thank everyone for being here with us today and thank you for all of your gifts." She paused to glance at Grissom. "We didn't want to be only getting gifts today. I mean as big of a day as this if for Gil and I- this is also a big day for our daughters. Starting today we're now all one family." She turned and picked up two gifts. Both were the same size- flat packages. "Alex, Lindsey..." She motioned with her hand for them to come forward. She handed each of them a package. "For weeks we've been anticipating becoming a family. These will help that become more official." She watched as they ripped the paper revealing manila folders filled with papers. At first Lindsey looked confused- but Alex's eyes widened.

"They're-" She almost couldn't speak. Catherine nodded knowing what they meant.

"Official adoption papers."

"What are they for?" Lindsey asked as Grissom crouched to her level.

"That means after we sign these papers- everyone will know me as your dad." Grissom said looking up to Catherine who took Alex's hand.

"And everyone will know me as your mother." She said as Alex looked at her shocked. Catherine leaned in and spoke softly. "Alex- I know I could never replace your mother- and you know I don't even want to try. But I would like the chance to be called your mother." She said as Alex smiled, her eyes filled with tears. She hugged Catherine and nodded against her.

"Absolutely." She whispered pulling away. She smiled watching Lindsey nod to Grissom; he picked her up smiling. Alex faced the three other members of her family. She spoke as she signed- her hands moving gracefully. "Welcome to the family." From the table behind them Greg stood up and started clapping for them. This started a trend starting at their table and working its way around the small reception. Finally their small family had gotten what they desperately wanted. They had a complete family- and it was legal in every way that counted. But even without the legalities- they still had each other and thats really all they needed.

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A/N: Okay so I know it sounds like it- but still not the ending lol. You don't think I'd go through all this detail and end it here do you? Muahahahaha. I hope everyone like it. Sorry it got so long. I got a mite carried away. I supposed its because I'm a hopeless romantic....emphasis on the hopeless part. PLEASE tell me what you think!! Stay shiny and love everybody!!

~Sweet Jorja


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